[Talk] Media Release: OPEN SOURCE USERS UNAFFECTED BY SASSER WORM - THE INTERNET KEEPS GOING DESPITE FLAWED PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE

[Con Zymaris]

On Tue, May 11, 2004 at 08:41:59AM +1000, Ben Elliston wrote:
> On Mon, May 10, 2004 at 11:01:35PM +1000, Con Zymaris wrote:
> 
> > There may be areas where there is no viable alternative(s) to the
> > user-space application in question (i.e Apache).  What you would do
> > is ensure you run Apache on multiple operating systems, preferrably
> > on different CPU architectures. This achieves the same result.
> 
> Microsoft are frequently reminding us that the cost of ownership is
> lower for a Windows site than a site running open source software.
> Homogeneity is an economic consequence.
> 
> Now, I acknowledge your point, Con, but how does having a team of
> system administrators trained in managing and securing different
> operating systems on different architectures lower the cost?  It
> doesn't.  In fact, one could argue that such a site would be *less*
> secure due to an overall lower level of familiarity and expertise.

There are very few 'real' sites which are homogenous. 

How many sites all run the same version of Win2k3? Or Suse? How many sites
run just Windows? Or just Solaris? Therefore, the costs of maintaining
multiple platforms are being borne here and now alread.

Once people get over this mental hurdle, it becomes easier to accept the 
scenario we are suggesting above.


-- 
_____________________________________________________________________________
Con Zymaris <conz at cyber.com.au> Level 4, 10 Queen St, Melbourne, Australia 
Cybersource: Australia's Leading Linux and Open Source Solutions Company 
Web: http://www.cyber.com.au/  Phone: 03 9621 2377   Fax: 03 9621 2477