[CS-FSLUG] Five Linux Security Myths You Can Live Without

[Don Parris]

On 4/24/05, Bob Brown <bebrown at gmail.com> wrote:
> So, a modern version of Linux is more compatible with modern
> technology than a fresh install of the 7 year old Win98?
> Second grade children are the same age as the bits on that CD.
> 
> Bob
> 
Let's put it this way.  The family I've been helping to migrate to
GNU/Linux has been running Win98, and seems to have no plans for an
upgrade anytime real soon. (See my posts on the home user experiment.)
 It appears they had some kind of anti-virus software installed - lot
of good that did them.  The other tech she spoke with said she
probably had a virus, though he didn't have the opportunity to look at
her system.  Mysteriously, we're supposed to re-install the OS.  I
literally don't do Windows (except at work where I have no control
over what I use).

Frankly, most GNU distros are more secure out of the box the WinXP. 
In fact, one of SUSE's strong points is its default security settings.
 You can choose between three basic levels (relaxed, moderate,
paranoid - along those lines).  But even at the basic level, you're
probably more secure than WinXP (I don't know about how it compares
before and after SP2).

Naturally, if you're paranoid and know much of anything, you know you
can always obtain a hardened distro.  If your needs are at that level,
go for it.  A great many distros are actually hardened distros.

Don
-- 
DC Parris GNU Evangelist
http://matheteuo.org/
gnumathetes at gmail.com
Free software is like God's love - 
you can share it with anyone anywhere anytime!