Don't fall for the monoculture myth

Why aren't people who spout this kind of drivel get embarrassed? They should be! The author has to ignore over a decade of continual and escalating security flaws in Windows-ware, and numerous vulnerabilities in Adobe's PDF software that have nothing to do with monoculture, but their own shoddy insecure products.

What is a rhetorical stance?

If you read security-related email lists (Bugtraq, Full Disclosure, etc) you'll occasionally see Roger Grimes take a huge head in the sand attitude towards Windows and Windows-related security flaws. I think he's rather accustomed to spouting drivel.

As Samuel Johnson once wrote, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it."

Rhetoric is the spoken or written word used for a particular effect. I.e, writing or speaking with a goal in mind. Thus a rhetorical stance would be a verbal or written position taken to achieve a desired goal.

Because it's language used for a given purpose, it often carries the negative connotation of being insincere, manipulative, or even an outright lie; the goal being considered as more important than the language used to achieve it.

The Merriam Webster definition of rhetoric can be found here:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhetoric

Um -- The guy is a full-time Microsoft employee. What choice does he have?

> What choice does he have?

To quit and find a real job?

Yeah, he's going to find a lot of great opportunities with this "monoculture is good" crap.

> Yeah, he's going to find a lot of great opportunities

Hey, there's nothing wrong with good honest janitorial work.

nothing at all wrong with it.

Much more benefit to society than 9 out of ten Wall Street types, too.

> Much more benefit to society than 9 out of ten Wall Street types, too.

Now you're just trying to get me and Bob started, aren't you? :)

No no no, you did qualify it at 90%. Which means 10% on Wall Street are actually useful.