Zotob Madness and the Real Cost of Windows vs. Linux

I was watching Lou Dobbs when this thing went down. Their 'Expert' came on saying that you should download/install the MS patch but if you already had the worm "there was 'nothing'"... I assume he meant that you needed to reinstall or restore from an image, but, it sure didn't sound like he knew what he was talking about. It would seem that a major outfit like CNN would have someone on hand with substantial IT experience but it looks like that isn't so.

Overall, I'm appalled by the ignorance of some people who work with Windows, and 'claim' IT expertise. Why weren't these guys keeping up to date on patching their system of choice. Beyond that, any of us with even basic Linux experience would get the removal instructions from Mcaffee, boot from a Koppnix CD and fix the darn problem.

for whatever good it will do, I also ended up submitting this email to Lou Dobbs:

"Concerning your reports today on the Zotob worm, I really begin to wonder why a large infrastructure like yours hasn't just gone to Linux. From both a security, and a usability standpoint, Linux provides a superior networking and desktop solution. The days of not having a viable and superior choice to Microsoft's insecure and buggy offerings are over."

And I can just imagine the moronic reaction at CNN's World Headquarters: "Another dammed Linux zealot...Lets reinstall again it has to work this time"

LOL... Well, I really have no expectations, but I thought it had to be said.

As TFA said, keeping winduz systems patched is not for the faint of heart. It's a no-win situation. If you don't apply the patch, you'll get nailed by a (trivially easy-to-write) sploit. If you do apply the patch, something will break.

Here's what's even funnier- if read the CNN story http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/08/16/computer.worm/in...

and then click on the video link 'How the worm got into the computers', it will complain if you're not using windows media player. Teh secuar! teh l33t! teh ROFLMAO!

As much as I hate to defend a Windows Admin, please don't forget that more than once a MS patch has broken something else. A lot of Admins take a chance and wait for fear of breaking some necessary application somewhere.

These people are also shocked when I tell them I have never had a virus on my Linux system.

SamShazaam,

Testify, brother.

Our company has mostly Windows machines with about five Linux ones and an old OS/2 thrown in for good measure. I've lost functionality on four separate Windows servers at various times due to bad patches. Linux and OS/2 just keep on ticking.

Sadly, I had to detail this very scenario the other day to the president of the company when he asked me why anybody would switch "from a company as stable as Microsoft to Linux - which nobody has ever heard of."

I caught myself later that day watching the guys from the landscaping service, wondering if they got dental.