Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 12:50:53 -0700 From: Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com> To: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> Cc: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@zippy.cdrom.com>, advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Linux to be deployed in Mexican schools; Where wasFreeBSD? Message-ID: <365C5F9D.F793AEB1@softweyr.com> References: <Your message of "Tue, 24 Nov 1998 22:53:59 MST." <4.1.19981124224816.0645fda0@127.0.0.1> <4.1.19981125114645.06a7c070@127.0.0.1>
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Brett Glass wrote:
>
> At 03:29 AM 11/25/98 -0800, Jordan K. Hubbard wrote:
>
> >> I still think that's so. When you give away freebies, you always want
> >> to put your best foot forward! If you hand someone something as a sample
> >
> >All releases have bugs. If I waited for a completely bug free FreeBSD
> >before sending out a single promotional copy, you'd be whining even
> >louder than you do now.
>
> There's a fundamental point is not addressed here. When a security
> hole has been discovered and publicized, the risk to users installing
> the old version is extremely high. Before that time, it's close to
> nil.
>
> Thus, the issue is not whether there are ANY bugs. It's whether there
> are known security holes for which scanning programs and scripted
> exploits exist. This is what sends the risk into the stratosphere
> and makes the disks "unsafe at any speed."
But Brett, you just continually refuse to accept the fact that by the
time ANY system goes from development to field acceptance, the
probability of such security flaws being uncovered is nearly 100%.
ANY system.
No system is perfect, and the script kiddies and their cracker task-
masters are continually probing and learning more. As they learn more
and break systems, we learn more and fix them; it's a symbiotic (well,
parasitic) relationship.
Are you under the impression you WOULDN'T have gotten hacked last
summer if you been running Linux, Solaris, HP/UX, or Windows NT?
It's long past time to admit the problem was caused by nobody being
at home when the exploit occurred, rather than any inherent evil in
FreeBSD, and JUST GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE!
--
Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket?
Wes Peters +1.801.915.2061
Softweyr LLC wes@softweyr.com
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