Windows XP is still king of the desktop computers, Windows 7 passes Vista

Usually what i have seen is that nobody is right in such arguements. We will never know until linux really occupies a chunk of the OS market. And i dont see that happening soon.
 
^^ Depends, For the last 12 years that I have been using linux, win9x-7, I have seen Win crashing more than anything else.

@adi_vastava kernel updates don't only mean vulnerabilities, they also mean hardware updates.

+LT
 
linuxtechie said:
Rogue hackers don't see the OS code (per se.), they are basically aware of the api's having problem with injected bytes in the os libs. These folks have there own team wherein they try to break apart the security of the lib/exe. Once they succeed they share within there confined groups for other (money) purpose. So it's not the same as the Open source. In windows, I can't go beyond api description, I can't fix problems with the api itself (at the most I can notify M$ and they would decided whats to be done with it, they won't let me look into it and even suggest about it). On the other hand in Open source, the patching mechanism is so brilliant ("Read about GIT"), even if I manage to push my code changes to the kernel, the discrepancy would be noted very fast and my "pushed" code removed from it. Ofcourse along with that the folks at kernel.org would also identify the vulnerability through which I tried succeeding my code changes into the kernel.
Click to expand...

The reason why hackers target Windows is because of the wide userbase. You find 1 loophole and that you provide backdoors to millions of systems on the planet. The same is not for linux.
Regarding the no of vulneribilities, i do agree that there a lots in Windows. The problem occurs mostly when a function call is done. You guys wont believe it that few days ago we released a patch for CA and the patch fixed a lot of issues, but also opened up a loophole (Read your private key is not longer that safe).
The bottonline is Windows is as safe a Linux, provided you know how to plug the loopholes, block ports which are open but not reqd, etc.
 
>>@adi_vastava kernel updates don't only mean vulnerabilities, they also mean hardware updates

Well two hardware updates in one day ;)

Jokes apart, I wonder what do you mean by hardware updates using kernel patch?

In windows what kernel you need for your hardware is actually decided at install time, multi processor, single processor etc. Additionally In windows when I want OS to recognize my hardware I supply it with my driver, which when installed take care of hardware. No need to modify kernel.

Is it some other way in linux or did I misunderstood what you meant by hardware updates?

And yeah, I *can* understand what/why/how of updates release. I am not a X OS fanboy arguing for the sake of argument. :)
 
adi_vastava said:
>>@adi_vastava kernel updates don't only mean vulnerabilities, they also mean hardware updates

Well two hardware updates in one day ;)

Jokes apart, I wonder what do you mean by hardware updates using kernel patch?
Click to expand...

Monolithic Kernel? Rings bells? A linux kernel has hardware as well.

adi_vastava said:
In windows what kernel you need for your hardware is actually decided at install time, multi processor, single processor etc. Additionally In windows when I want OS to recognize my hardware I supply it with my driver, which when installed take care of hardware. No need to modify kernel.

Is it some other way in linux or did I misunderstood what you meant by hardware updates?
Click to expand...

Somewhat similar, core drivers like usb are compiled into kernel unlike Windoze. However other not so common are available as loadable module.

adi_vastava said:
And yeah, I *can* understand what/why/how of updates release. I am not a X OS fanboy arguing for the sake of argument. :)
Click to expand...

Glad you did, then you must be understanding, that the releases done in linux world are mostly non funded.

+LT
 
>>Monolithic Kernel? Rings bells? A linux kernel has hardware as well.

*Ring bell*, Huh, You really think so (Is it that complex for you), You reminded me of DOS days actually.

>>Somewhat similar, core drivers like usb are compiled into kernel unlike Windoze. However other not so common are available as loadable module.

Ok, but for instance if we talk about USB, its specification does not change frequently. Which obviously means that user not really need to update the driver/kernel for it(leave bug fixes aside).

So I still wonder about hardware updates, any *guess* on what it really brings in to the system when you say it updates hardware?
 
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