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11.08.05
Viruses
And Unix
 By
A.P. Lawrence
I was in a meeting last week where a customer was exploring switching from a Unix
platform to Windows.
Of course one thing mentioned in favor of the Unix platform was the lessened threat
from viruses, but someone brought up the old "popularity" argument: if Unix were
as popular as Windows, it would have just as many virus problems.
That's just not true. I didn't want to get into an argument at the table, but
I did mention that basic OS flaws have a lot to do with Windows problems. The
"popularity" proponent disagreed, stating that all operating systems have flaws.
Of course that's true. But Windows has some problems that Unix doesn't have. If
that weren't true, then why is Microsoft working to planning
to change things in Vista?
Unix and Linux don't suffer from the basic stupidity of built in privilege problems.
Privilege escalation exists in Unix and Linux, but it's always a mistake, not
a design decision as it has been with Windows. Windows made this mess on purpose
because they wanted "ease of use" more than they wanted security.
That's about to change, but as I've noted in the article referenced above, I think
too many horses are already out of the barn: the Windows community will thwart
these controls and do everything they can to continue having complete administrative
power.
*Originally published at APLawrence.com
About the Author:
A.P. Lawrence provides SCO Unix and Linux consulting services http://www.pcunix.com
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