__aagmrb7289's Journal: Security in Linux - is this what people are talking about?

I just read through an article on the Register that has me: (a) pissed off; (b) concerned; and (c) confused. It addresses why Linux security is better than "Microsoft" security, and does so in a pretty lengthy little treatise. It is written by a man named Scott Granneman, and can hopefully be read for a long time here. Here's the problem: do all of you Linux security proponents sit your platform on these principals? Are there more reasons? Because I have to tell you, this article served a completely different purpose for me: it told me why Linux is never going to be the everyman operating system. It told me where Linux zealots go blind when looking at the MS Windows architecture. It also told me that Linux is no better at protecting from virus vectors, etc. than any other operating system I've seen. What the hell?

Article (in case they don't cache it)

[__aagmrb7289]

We've all heard it many times when a new Microsoft virus comes out. In fact, I've heard it a couple of times this week already. Someone on a mailing list or discussion forum complains about the latest in a long line of Microsoft email viruses or worms and recommends others consider Mac OS X or Linux as a somewhat safer computing platform. In response, another person named, oh, let's call him "Bill," says, basically, "How ridiculous! The only reason Microsoft software is the target of so many viruses is beca

Point by Point... (post #1)

[__aagmrb7289]

1) Email in Linux requires more steps in order to execute a virus.

I call bullshit. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard people complain about the "new" features in Outlook and Outlook Express that do not allow users to access attachments that are considered unsafe - basically, anything that can "execute" against the system - .bat, .exe, .scr, etc. files. I put quotes around "new" because this feature was first implemented in Office 97. I've been bothered so many times that at work, recently, I f

Point by point... (#2)

[__aagmrb7289]

6) The growth of the Microsoft monoculture in computing is a dangerous thing for users of Microsoft products, but also for all computing users, who suffer the consequences of disasters in that environment, such as wasted network resources, dangers to national security, and lost productivity

Okay, this may be true, and if Linux ever makes it to the average desktop, this may still be true, but again - this has nothing to do with the inherent architecture of Windows or Linux. Three years ago, most people I