Discussion on:

Linux grabs its single biggest win

No matter what OS you use if enemy know about it. If doors have a lock somebody one day will open it. Just remember Stuxnet. By the way the word "open source" says everything about software- nobody knows who creates it and nobody responsible for it. I doubt that somebody will check all lines in code if they had used Windows OS earlier for that project

I just wanted to add this is not new. The Army, Air force and Marines all use Linux. Its where they use it that???s different. This is the push which should force its use in satellites and other top secret equipment. Viruses are only a portion, however the biggest downfall has always been from the higher up's. The generals that desired to go with what was best supported, and what vendors offered most. It was a sort of "Buy the best and write the rest" mentality.

Once upon a time in the not so distant past, most vendors wrote thier software in Unix and poted it to windows, they were mostly all Unix. Since about 95 on that has changed in favor of windows. I am glad and proud that they have finally found out (the hard way I'm sure) the right choice. Now lets go forth and re-create the world according to LINUX!

This is a considerably large proving feather to add into the collective Linux hat. The drawback of this? This will make the Linux fanboys unbearable... lol

This is very positive for the future of Linux as we have seen over the past decade more and more governments are adopting to Linux an example is the French government who implemented Ubuntu to its police force http://www.switched.com/2008/01/30/french-government-moving-from-windows-to-linux/ this will of course reduce licensing costs as well as providing a more secure and flexible OS to its next rival Microsoft. When President Obama made his speech a few months ago on making the US Military leaner and more effective this was one of its main concern, same a France reduce costs while improve effectiveness, Linux will now soon migrate to the public service industry and public schools and in the end saving millions on Licensing fees. While Microsoft is a good OS in its own right the pressures of this will now make them think about their future strategy, Linux has now become a very user friendly OS and can preform very well on machines that might have passed its cell by date if used by Windows and now Google android has a high market share in the smartphone market consumers may find the difficulty in changing there home laptops to Linux in the near future.

If everybody starts moving from Windows to Linux, won't people start writing better and more advanced viruses for Linux as well? If this happened, would Linux really be more secure than Windows? I'm not saying it wouldn't, just asking.

the deliberate security holes Microsoft put in for their own use, as a start, and the code is tighter and better checked.

there's still not just one Linux.
So, apart from exploits against the Kernel (which is very tight and zealously monitored), each distro-specific exploit will have a much smaller application than the overall "Linux" market share.
Linux bugs will never be as lucrative as one big Windows bug can be under comparable circumstances.

market share I've seen has been how tailored they are to favour Microsoft. I admit it's been some years since I saw one, but the ones I saw then were either just about desktop OS SALES - meaning you had very low Linux shares as it's usually given away free and not sole - and the various versions of Windows were all lumped together while the various versions of Linux were all split up. Thus the reports totally ignored all the server applications and the embedded systems as well.

They realised very late, but they must have been pushed to the wall because of budget constraints. With that money the could never have succeeded in thwarting the virus attack, cleaning it up, and closing the loop hole. The way out was to go Linux.

Kudos to Linux

Counter strike? We can't. We're clean out of licenses - all those previously purchased have been blown up... Or is there a clause for that in the M$ EULA?

Not an expert here, but I thought that aircraft systems use ADA or C++ code - my understanding being that these are open source code and are hence capable of being "Safety Cased" - hard to think that the US Navy is using Windows for controlling an aircraft.

The Navy move will lead to an increase in demand for Linux adminitrators, programmers and instructors. Who knows? Something like this might even catch the attention of High School level instructors.

It reminds me of the Star Trek parody "If Lt, Data ran on MS Windows 95".

This is only a blogger not a reporter. No when, where, how and why!
No info as to how thevirus got there, I am reasonably sure the drone wasn't visiting the internert.
Also, a virus can be introduced to any os by personnel with access.
And just because they are part of the military/industrial complex does not guarantee they have pure objectives, as can be iillustrated by the miliary person who stole and exposed many classified governvent emails and documents.
The fact the military or goverment makes a particulary choice does not necessarily mean it is an intelligent choice.

As usual biased Jack is @ it again being an evangelist singing praises for Linux & bashing Windows, dude when will you ever stop?
First off your arguments are flawed as Linux itself has several security holes. Yes we know that Windows has security issues but guess what so do every OS in existence. This rubbish ideology of security through obscurity needs to stop.
Any OS in the world can be affected by viruses even Linux and i'm very sure you know this Jack so stop acting as if Windows OS's are the only ones that can get viruses.

I've been using it for the past 4 years and I do Google searches quite often for Linux viruses. The last mention of any was in 2007. I still get updates quite often and yet, the last virus mentioned was in 2007. If there wasn't a Windows virus since 2007, they'd stop updating. Remember how long IE6 was around? It took Firefox coming along to jump start those updates again.

Look up root kit. Those are malware that actually only run on *nix platforms.
Windows only has "rootkit-like malware", because Windows has no /root and thus can't be rooted.

"Your love of games will eventually fade away."

NEVER!!

Of course, I run my games on Xubuntu, so it's a moot point as far as what you're talking about.

I am very new to Linux and I have been running Ubuntu 11.04 on a partition on my laptop. I'm getting a new computer tomorrow that will support multiple drives so I'm going to set it up with Linux on one of my drives. I want to be able to play my games like Diablo 3 and other games like that. The only thing I have found is Wine and I can't get much to run in it. Does Xubuntu have better support for the games or is there another way to get it to work?

as well as full blown virtual machines.

Cedega is a commercial program aimed at games and is a step ahead of WINE as it's the same bunch of people working on it and how they put food on the table.

I use Zorin OS 5 which works off the Ubuntu base with a few extras added, like a big range of GUIs that imitate other systems, and it has a program called Play on Linux (which may be in the Ubuntu repository) to help run Windows programs.

It's available and really easy to use. It just configures WINE for the specific apps it supports. A better idea would be to check out playdeb.net as it's got plenty of Linux games as well as an app called djl, the Linux equivalent of STEAM but for open source, linux games.

Most games are written for Windows. Some things may work under Wine, but you can't rely on it and even if they do run under Wine, they will run slower because there is a whole extra layer of software running.

The bottom line is that if you mainly use your computer to run commercial games, you will do better to stay with Windows.

The exceptions are games like chess and go - there are good free programs which run on Linux, to play against or to connect you to the servers where you can play against other people.

(If and when you actually want to get some work done, that's the time to use Linux.)

as the core OS runs faster. Also, many games are designed to run on both Windows and Linux and many of the Windows only games run on Linux servers, which is funny in an odd way.

With more an more going to being on-line games some of the developers are looking at making them platform independent to run through browsers as they're getting fed up with having to make new variants and patches whenever Microsoft changes the Windows Command sets to force program incompatibilities to sell more of their won software.

If the demand rises, the games will come.
Besides, they make some games for OSX, right?
And they make ever more advanced games for Android, right?
One is Unix-based and the other is Linux-based; portability can't possibly be very far away.

a complaint many of you have probably heard. Bull Spit!

I migrated my parents (in their 80's) from Windows XP to Ubuntu, because it was too time consuming for me to maintain windows. Age is no factor. Yup there was a few bumps in the road as they learned, but today, they have very few issues. Yes, older folks can make that transition. Be willing to install and support Linux for seniors!

Wayno
www pkill-9 dot com

When the Navy get's their hands on the kernel code. You can bet your bottom dollar there'll be changes made. GPL Schme PL. As stated earlier, If they keep it in house there's no GPL conflict. As far as releasing code. They already have SELinux. Now, take these three factors, shake well. There's no way this can not benefit all involved.

More secure??? Who's to say they can't release "pieces parts" of modified code to be infused with the mainstream. You just can't do that with proprietary code now can you?

I am writing this comment on my Ubuntu 12.04LTS desktop since my 3yr old Windows HP laptop died late last year and it was simpler and cheaper to move to this option than fix the laptop or buy a new one. This is not for novice users and I am an experienced computer user who can troubleshoot and fix problems, but it is getting easier with each new Linux version. I also run Virtualbox with Windows 7 (with virus protection) for a few applications that are needed on occasion (Apple iTunes and Financial & Tax Software). I have repaired more virus infected Windows computers than I can count, and avoid doing anything on my Virtualbox that would compromise the system.

I've always said you need to two things to be infected by a virus, 1) the virus itself; 2) Windows operating system. Take either out of the equation and no virus! Glad the US Navy has finally realized this

I don't think that statement is accurate, simply because they are allowed to distribute the code internally without having to release the changes to the public. I highly doubt that even Richard Stallman would say that the DoD or Navy was in violation of the GPL if they don't release their code changes. Plus, I would imagine that some of their changes can (and will) be released--as they won't affect the security or operations of the drones.

But, I do agree with Deadly Ernest, in that I hope it lasts. You can bet that Microsoft will be doing everything that it can to get the contracts back.

Have a great day:)
Patrick.

I am happy to hear this news and hopeful that the Navy innovates their defenses well into this century based on open source software. I will abstain from being distracted by the onslaught of MS defenders who seem to have a PR stake on behalf of MS.

The mere fact that a serious problem fix can lead to much more innovation and the freeing up of my tax dollars from Corporate Licenses are enough to welcome this move by the Navy. So, I say ???Go Navy??? do us proud and use those freed up funds to make our defenses more secure and the world a safer place to live.

Jack, your comment about the GPL - "the DOD???s use of open source code will alter the GPL for said code" - is completely off base.

The GPL does not require you to release source code for your changes, unless you give your changed code to someone else. As long as the DoD uses its changed code only within its own systems (drones, etc) for its own use, it incurs no obligations whatsoever under the GPL.

If it sold drones containing modified code to another country, then it would have to give the source code to that country. But (1) it has announced no plans to do that, (2) any buyer would insist on source code anyway to be sure that the drones it bought were really under its control.

About the time I got down to the ridiculous post about "what if Windows auto-updates..." and "do they have to use MS-approved drivers" I realized this thread had nothing to do with security or stability, it has to do with hating Microsoft and a perfect chance to vent.

You think they can't hack Linux machines if there is incentive like government security? Thats the same idiocy that had Apple fanatics claiming their Macs to be virus/malware-immune. Simply a case of "Why bother hacking 5% of the machines when it's just as easy to hack 90%"? Then the guy (above) has the nerve to gripe that Windows updates itself (neglecting to mention that it's an option, not mandatory, and can be set to manual easily).

Linux and open-source are wonderful ideas, but it's user base suffers from the same foolish tendency to lie, to exaggerate, to gloss over imperfections, and to mislead that Mac users have for many years when they claim that their machines are these perfect little wonders that never existed in reality, they just cost more and include a marketing department that feeds the buyer's ego as being among the elite. I still remember believing Linux users in the late '90's as I decided to give Red Hat a go, which was supposed to be (according to them) as simple to install as Windows (pardon me, Windoze, ha-ha, clever).

The security issue for governments probably hinges on using either a system they design themselves and keep secret, or one that has the most active security task force in place and watching for any sign of intrusion. Certainly not the head-in-clouds Apple system whose users still are deluded into thinking no one has hacked their machines because they're so well-designed, and possibly not the Linux system which to some extent suffers from the same misplaced arrogance of being better than the vast, unwashed, ignorant users of MS products.

In reality, Linux and open-source are the best idea in the long run. A closed system such as Apples is also a viable option, if one doesn't mind paying more for the same thing, and being coddled under the gated community of Apple, where they're told what they can and can't have. Windows is also a great operating system, giving the users much more freedom to choose, and it's wide user base makes things much simpler than trying to use Linux with a much more limited selection, and worries about drivers etc. Too bad some folks just can't accept that, and instead have to boost their egos by thinking which one they choose makes them smarter than those other fools.

does, the sad thing is Microsoft tell more and bigger lies than Apple. operating Systems are like any physical security system, they can be broken into - it's just that the better ones require a lot more time, effort, and knowledge to break into while the poor ones can be broken into by a kid with a piece of wire. Well, since Microsoft started putting out Windows they've found there are lots of kids out their with bits of wire. The fact Microsoft also design in some security holes for their own use don't help at all. And before you go about saying they don't, every case of a hacker or virus or trojan attack that uses an application like MSIE, Word, Excel etc to leap into the Windows OS is only able to do that due to the back door security holes Microsoft have made to allow their apps to bypass the security.

It's the huge weaknesses in Windows that requires Microsoft to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing costs to get the system out there so widely spread. A good advertising firm can sell anything - regardless of what it is or if it works, that's a proven fact.

Linux is still free. Beat that!

...to tell you that I think your own (apparently biased) post doesn't deserve a reply.

"I'm calling to tell you that I'm giving you the silent treatment."

Or did you mean you don't have? There's plenty of reasons the game is up and Linux has already won, but understanding that would take intelligence I don't credit most with having. So I wielded the simplest clue stick, which you had no answer to.

As time marches on it will become obvious to even the dimmest among us that control stifles development and opening your source is the best way forward.

Personally I think this navy article is small potatoes the big news lately is

IBM's Sequoia Is World's Fastest Supercomputer
http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/info-management/240002268

You know that puppy runs Linux too. The 9 next slower computers all run Linux as well. That's right, we bad ...

We're #1!
and we're #2
and we're #3
etc.
etc.

The last I looked I think the 17th fastest ran something else. Linux has a monopoly in supercomputing that even Microsoft can only dream of having on the desktop.

Linux already dominates the world, the world just hasn't figured it out yet is all.

and no small amount of embarrassment by clicking the "View entire thread" link to verify that jeslurkin was replying to you and not to garyleroy...

I replied to garyleroy, not you.

I think I shall change my procedures for replying on popular threads such as this.

Keep up the good works y'all!

I think the general point is, Gary, that due to superior design, Linux / UNIX systems are HARDER to hack. That's the point that's being made here and elsewhere. You may disagree but you don't provide any evidence to support your opinion. Also, apart from design / organisation flaws, Windows is aimed at GUI desktop use. Linux is much more suitable for real time systems.

As for your point about choice, that is clearly nothing to do with Windows as an OS. Microsoft has been in and out of the courts for years. MS don't dominate the market because their OS is the best. The more open source OSes become popular the more that the efficiences of scale can return benefits to the customers. Benefits MS has been stealing from the world for decades now.

Linux continues to build and maintain support across the globe in the face of massive market share and budget that Windows holds. If you were to reverse the numbers in the user bases overnight Microsoft market share would immediately start contracting and would be quickly forced out of existence.

You would have thought that they would have learned the first time. Remember back in 1997 when the Navy forced a contractor to use an OS from Microsoft. The Navy war games in 1997 brought whole new meaning to the common expressions "Blue Screen of Death" and "Dead in the Water".

It's obvious from this article on Wikipedia that, with more then one Admiral's career on the line, the Navy forced its contractors to do a Galileo retraction.

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0024SN
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Yorktown_%28CG-48%29

Yes, many things would be different if most people used linux. But they don't. And if I switch to linux, there will be 1 more person and no one will notice, except me when I spend another night editing config files and recompiling software attempting to get the tv-out to work on my computer.

Also my interest in video games isn't going away.

a config file in that time. Mind you I regularly have to use Regedit and Msconfig to fix problems in Windows machines for people to stop excessive software load up as everything new loaded in Windows seems to always be set to run at start up.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=tv-out+linux I googled it for you, seeing as you haven't figured out how to do so yourself.