Yet another Linux on the desktop article

[Brian D]

--- Oren Beck wrote:

> Uncle Jim wrote:
> > On Sat, Jul 31, 2004 at 01:20:23PM -0500, Jonathan
> Hutchins wrote:
> > 
> > 
> >>Most PC's will boot from a floppy - or for that
> matter a CD these days - 
> >>before they ever even load the OS, so anybody with
> physical access can 
> >>potentially compromise "security".  It's all in
> how you set the system up.  
> >>
...
> > So I fail to see where the ability to automount
> should be a criteria for "desktop ready"
> > unless "desktop ready" means isolated, unconnected
> host.
> > 
...
> 
> We can make a software build that literally cannot
> be exploited because 
> it lacks any point of entry other than filtered  .
> Now do consider how maddening it would be attempting
> to use such 
> crippledware .
I'd like to address two points here since no one else
has. One the automount feature in modern Linux distros
is in the desktop and does the mounting on demand.
When it does mount it uses the user account of the
person activating it. Secondly, it is impossible to
make software that cannot be exploited. Given time
every software app is exploitable. 
I'd also like to stress again that I see no problem
with using Linux as a desktop. I will not say all
things are perfect, but virtually all the issues that
Linux has that I would consider as keeping it from
being "desktop ready" are due to a lack of vendor
supplied linux drivers. I use linux: to surf, to
create documents and presentations, I do programming,
telecommuting, I read and write email, I design and
implement databases, I do DTP (posters and tickets and
such), print photograghs, scan documents, maintain an
appointment book with alarms. So just what is not
"desktop ready" about this setup? Now consider the
reverse situation where Linux has every vendor
supplying drivers and Windows only has 4 or 5 vendors
supplying drivers. Now honestly how many people would
say that Windows in that situation was "desktop
ready"?

Brian D.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com