Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature
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Here's something else to think about.
AFAIK, Windows & Office (closed) has many more people able to support & repair it compared to non (open) Windows & Office competitors.
Could this make Windows & Office more secure than Open alternatives, simply as it could be assumed that patches/fixes could be put in place more quickly, than on Open products?
As an example. Business X needs the latest MS security fixes put in place. They go search for someone who can do that. How many IT support places support Windows & how many support places support Linux?
Could a product be considered more secure simply because it can be supported by many more parties than it's rival?
Or another way to think about it, could a product that is created less secure, be considered more secure than a more secure alternative, simply because the support base for the less secure product is far greater than the more secure product?
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@siringo said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Here's something else to think about.
AFAIK, Windows & Office (closed) has many more people able to support & repair it compared to non (open) Windows & Office competitors.
Could this make Windows & Office more secure than Open alternatives, simply as it could be assumed that patches/fixes could be put in place more quickly, than on Open products?
As an example. Business X needs the latest MS security fixes put in place. They go search for someone who can do that. How many IT support places support Windows & how many support places support Linux?
Could a product be considered more secure simply because it can be supported by many more parties than it's rival?
Or another way to think about it, could a product that is created less secure, be considered more secure than a more secure alternative, simply because the support base for the less secure product is far greater than the more secure product?
You're making the assumption that the larger support base is competent as the smaller support base, which is questionable at best.
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@travisdh1 said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@siringo said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Here's something else to think about.
AFAIK, Windows & Office (closed) has many more people able to support & repair it compared to non (open) Windows & Office competitors.
Could this make Windows & Office more secure than Open alternatives, simply as it could be assumed that patches/fixes could be put in place more quickly, than on Open products?
As an example. Business X needs the latest MS security fixes put in place. They go search for someone who can do that. How many IT support places support Windows & how many support places support Linux?
Could a product be considered more secure simply because it can be supported by many more parties than it's rival?
Or another way to think about it, could a product that is created less secure, be considered more secure than a more secure alternative, simply because the support base for the less secure product is far greater than the more secure product?
You're making the assumption that the larger support base is competent as the smaller support base, which is questionable at best.
Did you mean 'larger support base is as competent'?
Yep, I'm talking hypothetically actually, as in all things being equal. Just a point that I thought was interesting.
Could product A, which is considered less secure than product B, be considered more secure due to it having so many more people available to support it?
Think about it as both products, A & B are infected at the same time. Both are infecting your network at the same rate & speed & you need to get someone to fix the problem. Product A has 100 times more support people available to contact than product B. Does this make product A more secure than B simply because you can get it fixed more promptly than product B?
Just a conversation 'continuer'.
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@siringo said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@travisdh1 said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@siringo said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Here's something else to think about.
AFAIK, Windows & Office (closed) has many more people able to support & repair it compared to non (open) Windows & Office competitors.
Could this make Windows & Office more secure than Open alternatives, simply as it could be assumed that patches/fixes could be put in place more quickly, than on Open products?
As an example. Business X needs the latest MS security fixes put in place. They go search for someone who can do that. How many IT support places support Windows & how many support places support Linux?
Could a product be considered more secure simply because it can be supported by many more parties than it's rival?
Or another way to think about it, could a product that is created less secure, be considered more secure than a more secure alternative, simply because the support base for the less secure product is far greater than the more secure product?
You're making the assumption that the larger support base is competent as the smaller support base, which is questionable at best.
Did you mean 'larger support base is as competent'?
Yep, I'm talking hypothetically actually, as in all things being equal. Just a point that I thought was interesting.
Could product A, which is considered less secure than product B, be considered more secure due to it having so many more people available to support it?
Think about it as both products, A & B are infected at the same time. Both are infecting your network at the same rate & speed & you need to get someone to fix the problem. Product A has 100 times more support people available to contact than product B. Does this make product A more secure than B simply because you can get it fixed more promptly than product B?
Just a conversation 'continuer'.
No, I don't agree that it would make it more secure just because there are more numbers in the phonebook to call. As Travish is I assuming leading - more doesn't mean better. Hell, Scott and others will say that one Linux Admin is worth like 100 Windows admins.
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@siringo said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
AFAIK, Windows & Office (closed) has many more people able to support & repair it compared to non (open) Windows & Office competitors.
This is the opposite of the general wisdom. This is actually a thing that I constantly teach - it's SO much easier to get competent support for Linux than for Windows. That Windows is almost impossible to filter through all the crap to find qualified support for is one of the biggest negatives of the ecosystem. It's actually one of the hardest products to get support for (not because it doesn't exist, but because it's such a tiny percentage of the people purporting to be Windows support people.)
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@siringo said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Could this make Windows & Office more secure than Open alternatives, simply as it could be assumed that patches/fixes could be put in place more quickly, than on Open products?
No, so much the opposite, in every sense. Linux has so many more good people, and SO much better patching. The gap is.... enormous. This is one of the areas where Linux is so massively far ahead. Yes, these things make a difference. But they make Windows go to last place, not first, for these very reasons.
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@Dashrender said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Hell, Scott and others will say that one Linux Admin is worth like 100 Windows admins.
Kind of. It's not exactly how I would put it, but it is essentially true. If you work in the MSP space, you spend all your time cleaning up from Windows Admins who have been faking it.
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@siringo said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
As an example. Business X needs the latest MS security fixes put in place. They go search for someone who can do that. How many IT support places support Windows & how many support places support Linux?
This specially.... so much in Linux' favour. SO MUCH.
And even just the fact that one needs support to do something so basic, and the other... anyone could do and automate.
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@siringo said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Could a product be considered more secure simply because it can be supported by many more parties than it's rival?
Yes, for sure. And Windows having the least serious support is a huge problem for them that they tried to overcome with their certification processes, but that ended up biting them in the behind. Microsoft used this sales pitch of quantity over quality for a long time to try to excuse their poor support.
So yes, more support is better. But more bodies isn't more support.
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@siringo said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Or another way to think about it, could a product that is created less secure, be considered more secure than a more secure alternative, simply because the support base for the less secure product is far greater than the more secure product?
Yes, in a situation where that is true, which doesn't apply to Windows, it would be a factor.
Keep in mind Linux is the larger install base than Windows, as well. You are thinking that Windows is the market leader here, but it isn't.
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@scottalanmiller said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@siringo said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Or another way to think about it, could a product that is created less secure, be considered more secure than a more secure alternative, simply because the support base for the less secure product is far greater than the more secure product?
Yes, in a situation where that is true, which doesn't apply to Windows, it would be a factor.
Keep in mind Linux is the larger install base than Windows, as well. You are thinking that Windows is the market leader here, but it isn't.
Windows is the market leader when it comes to Desktop operating systems, Linux leads in server deployments.
Context is required here.
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@DustinB3403 said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Windows is the market leader when it comes to Desktop operating systems, Linux leads in server deployments.
Context is required here.Linux is the overall leader. Windows leads in one category, Linux leads in all others and overall. You need no context when saying Linux is the leader, you need it when saying Windows is because it's only the leader with very big qualifications (when you eliminate most machines.) Linux is number one in laptops (or was before the M1 released), number one in end user devices, number one in servers, number one in cloud.
When talking about how much code is out there, desktop deployments is an irrelevant subcategory to break out, so saying Windows is the leader is always wrong. Would be little different than claiming MacOS is the leader, but then "well, only in Iowa."
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@scottalanmiller said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Linux is number one in laptops
Where are you getting your statistics from?
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@Obsolesce said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@scottalanmiller said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Linux is number one in laptops
Where are you getting your statistics from?
That doesn't include servers and completely ignores Android. You're proving @scottalanmiller's point here. You have to specify a specific market that Windows is a leader in, specifically PC/Laptop. On the whole of the industry Android/Linux is the leader.
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@coliver said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@Obsolesce said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@scottalanmiller said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Linux is number one in laptops
Where are you getting your statistics from?
That doesn't include servers and completely ignores Android. You're proving @scottalanmiller's point here. You have to specify a specific market that Windows is a leader in, specifically PC/Laptop. On the whole of the industry Android/Linux is the leader.
If you read what I quoted, i responded to a very specific piece of what he wrote...
Then I linked some stats to show that specific text of his I quoted was wrong, and then asked where he got his info, because I can't find anything to show otherwise of that specific thing I quoted.
Pay attention. Context matters. The quotes help with that.
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@Obsolesce said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@coliver said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@Obsolesce said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@scottalanmiller said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Linux is number one in laptops
Where are you getting your statistics from?
That doesn't include servers and completely ignores Android. You're proving @scottalanmiller's point here. You have to specify a specific market that Windows is a leader in, specifically PC/Laptop. On the whole of the industry Android/Linux is the leader.
If you read what I quoted, i responded to a very specific piece of what he wrote...
Then I linked some stats to show that specific text of his I quoted was wrong, and then asked where he got his info, because I can't find anything to show otherwise of that specific thing I quoted.
Pay attention. Context matters. The quotes help with that.
Yep, you're right missed the quote.
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@coliver said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@Obsolesce said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@coliver said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@Obsolesce said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@scottalanmiller said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Linux is number one in laptops
Where are you getting your statistics from?
That doesn't include servers and completely ignores Android. You're proving @scottalanmiller's point here. You have to specify a specific market that Windows is a leader in, specifically PC/Laptop. On the whole of the industry Android/Linux is the leader.
If you read what I quoted, i responded to a very specific piece of what he wrote...
Then I linked some stats to show that specific text of his I quoted was wrong, and then asked where he got his info, because I can't find anything to show otherwise of that specific thing I quoted.
Pay attention. Context matters. The quotes help with that.
Yep, you're right missed the quote.
This is great. I see too often people not acknowledging a mistake they make & the discussion ends up a turd fight.
Well done Mr @coliver. -
@siringo said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
a turd fight
Yeah, that's pretty much how every discussion here ends these days.
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@Obsolesce said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@scottalanmiller said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Linux is number one in laptops
Where are you getting your statistics from?
You just provided stats that mirror exactly what I said.
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@Obsolesce said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@coliver said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@Obsolesce said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
@scottalanmiller said in Is Open Source Really So Much More Secure By Nature:
Linux is number one in laptops
Where are you getting your statistics from?
That doesn't include servers and completely ignores Android. You're proving @scottalanmiller's point here. You have to specify a specific market that Windows is a leader in, specifically PC/Laptop. On the whole of the industry Android/Linux is the leader.
If you read what I quoted, i responded to a very specific piece of what he wrote...
Then I linked some stats to show that specific text of his I quoted was wrong, and then asked where he got his info, because I can't find anything to show otherwise of that specific thing I quoted.
Pay attention. Context matters. The quotes help with that.
No, you posted desktops, I said laptops. I said it very specifically, because Linux doesn't lead in desktops, at all. You have to pay attention to the context.
