New Technology Reviews!.: Reasons

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/computing/software/operating-systems/images/linux-penguin-200-200.jpg"> There are hundreds of compelling reasons why Linux is better than all the rival operating systems. Here are just 20. 1. Linux is free No matter how many computers you install it on, the cost of Linux remains the same: zero. In these days of multi-computer households, this can be a massive saving, especially when you consider the cost of all the programs you have to add to a standard Windows installation. 2. Software repositories Having all the software you need in one place saves you having to trawl the web to find the program you're missing. It also means the software has been independently checked and digitally signed by the distro's developers, making it almost impossible to pick up a root-kitted version. <img alt="Software repositories" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Linux%20Format/LXF%20138/LXF138.preferlinux.repositories-420-90.jpg" width="420"></IMG> The same developers also keep track of updates and add them to the repository, providing you with automatic updates without every program needing a 'phone home' feature. 3. Live CDs Live CDs are one of the best innovations of the Linux world. To be able to load a complete desktop on any computer by booting it from a CD or USB stick is a great way of using your favourite distro away from home, demonstrating Linux to yet-to-be-converted friends, checking hardware compatibility or fixing a broken Windows system. 4. Rapid evolution Windows Vista took five years to appear, and was seen by many critics and users alike as a big step backwards, if not a complete flop. Since Windows 7 would take another three years to come along, that was virtually an eight-year wait for an operating system upgrade! In contrast, most Linux distributions have an updated release every six to nine months (with the obvious exception of Debian). If you don't like the upside-down menus or whatever features Ubuntu decides to add to its current release, you can skip it – the next version will be only months away. 5. Linux is free Didn't we already mention this? Yes, but this is a different free: it's the freedom to do whatever you want with the software. This isn't restricted to copying, but also hacking. Even if you don't have the skills to do so, you can take advantage of the efforts of others. In fact, you probably already do so, as most distros use a modified version of the standard Linux kernel. 6. Powerful shell While some criticise Linux for its use of the shell, this really is a powerful advantage. Easy GUIs are good, and we need to be able to carry out standard administration and configuration tasks using a GUI, but sometimes a shell can be so much faster and more flexible, unlike a DOS box. 7. Multiple desktops <img alt="Mulitple desktops" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Linux%20Format/LXF%20138/LXF138.preferlinux.desktops-420-90.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Have you ever watched a Windows user trying to juggle several programs and windows on screen at once, assuming they have enough resources to run several programs? Multiple desktops makes it easy to have many programs and windows open all at once, but only have to deal with the ones you are using right now. For example, you could have your email and internet on one desktop, a game on another, and the work you're supposed to be doing on another. A flick of the mouse is all that's required to switch between them. 8. Independent distributions Distributors are responsible for selecting and packaging software. Even if the distributor employs some of the programmers of a particular program, it isn't obliged to use that program irrespective of any shortcomings, unlike the situation with a certain large, monolithic software company. Software evolves because the distros only include what they feel is the best or most appropriate. 9. Drivers included Some claim that Windows 7 supports more hardware than Linux. In fact, the reverse is true. Windows 7 supports very little hardware – most hardware requires you to install drivers from the manufacturer. On the other hand, the majority of hardware is supported directly by the Linux kernel, so you can just plug and play – this is one of the reasons live CDs work so well. 10. Runs on any platform Linux runs on just about any hardware you can name, from mobile phones to supercomputers. The open source nature of the kernel and software means it can be ported to another architecture by a third party if the existing developers see no need. The end user doesn't need to care about the underlying hardware. 11. No commercial deadlines The release of a commercial operating system requires much planning in terms of coordinating marketing and promotion, so release dates are adhered to, even if the software isn't ready. Linux distros have no such pressures, and tend to adopt a 'release it when ready' approach, which means there are fewer post-installation bugs to deal with. 12. Interoperability Linux plays well with other systems. It recognises that there's a place for Windows and Mac OS X and will install alongside them, share files with them, and generally be nice to them. This is very different from the Windows view that multibooting means choosing between Windows 7 and Vista. 13. Community support The community support of Linux is unparalleled, mainly because there is no clear demarcation between developers and the rest of the community. Web forums and mailing lists are frequented by the software developers themselves, giving prompt and authoritative help, as well as the opportunity for users to give direct feedback and discuss suggestions with the developers. 14. Any colour you like, except brown Everything on Linux has an alternative, from the desktop you use to the package manager and even the filesystem holding it all. You can pick what's best for your needs, whether you want impressive eye candy or fast and light for older hardware. 15. Pick and mix With Linux, there is no commercial vendor trying to lock you into certain products or protocols. Instead, you're free to mix and match and choose what works best for your business. If you want to run KDE programs on a Gnome desktop or even the other way round, you can. If you want to cherry pick the best bits from each distro, you can. There are even DIY distros, such as Gentoo, that enable you to build a custom environment. 16. Security Linux is inherently more secure than Windows, because security is a feature of the core system, not a boltedon afterthought. With a firewall at the heart of the kernel and the virtual impossibility of slipping malware into the software repositories, a Linux computer can devote all its resources to running your programs, rather than being bogged down with security programs running all the time. 17. Lack of malware Malware is virtually unheard of on Linux. This is mainly down to the open source nature of the software. If you install from your distro's repositories, you know the software has been checked by them. 18. Thousands of programs included A Linux distro is not just an operating system; it comes with thousands of free applications. While other systems consider a desktop, web browser and mailer to be all you need, a typical Linux distro includes everything you could possibly want: internet tools, office software, multimedia and games. If it's not on the installation disc, there are thousands more available for download. 19. No reinstallations When problems occur in Linux, they can be fixed directly. You don't even need to reinstall when you want to update to the latest version of your distro. 20. Pick a distro And if you don't like it, <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/10-best-linux-distros-for-2010-704584">pick another, and another</A>. Most distros keep user data on a separate partition, so you can flit between distros like a hyperactive butterfly, and still keep all your settings, emails and so on intact.

20 reasons you should switch to Linux

There are hundreds of compelling reasons why Linux is better than all the rival operating systems. Here are just 20. 1. Linux is free No mat...

CNet had an article a while ago an article entitled Data breach incidents are increasing which told the following tale:In the recent past, about 30 percent of large organizations would suffer a data breach each year. This figure remained roughly consistent from 2005 through 2007. But in a November 2008 survey the figure had risen to 56 percent. So why is this happening?Here are 10 reasons: Insider Dealing Many company insiders and recent leavers are ready, willing and able to kill to collaborate with outsiders and have sufficient knowledge to help outsiders break in to areas of a network where critical data is stored. Every news story that tells of a data breach is also an advert to dishonest employees that highlights ways to boost their income. The paucity of stories about hackers being caught acts as a further incentive. The Recession The devil finds work for idle programmers to do. Those programmers who have no moral scruples and lose their jobs are likely to turn to hacking as a worthwhile pursuit. They will often have sufficient knowledge and contacts within companies they've worked for to be a genuine threat. The Black Hat Economic Ecosystem If you want to be proficient at Photoshop there are many sites of the web that can help you. The same is true if you'd like to set up a Black Hat business. There are many opportunities, including some that have minimal risk. For example if your the kind of geek that creates exploits you can simply auction them off for others to use. If you're into writing viruses there are hundreds of sites out there offering source code starter packs. Even the hacker community thinks Open Source is cool. The Attack Technology is Impressive (so its users don't need to be) The time when Black Hats needed a Ph D in computer science is long gone. Anyone who knows how to download and install software can take a trip to the dark side. There are web sites that sell fully functional hacker toolboxes at prices of a few hundred dollars. I've been told that if you know the right hacker clubs you can even get well-designed root kits. That's frightening. The root-kit is the WMD of the malware world. IT Security Technology Aside from the fact that some IT security technology is ineffective, like AntiVirus (always slamming the stable door after the horse has bolted), right now there is no vendor selling a comprehensive IT security platform which has the ability to manage all threats. Even if such a product set were available most companies would be unable to afford it. Truth is that getting through the security barriers that most organizations have in place just isn't that difficult. An Absence of Forensic Information Among the inadequate defenses that many companies suffer from is the simple lack of good audit trails. With insider fraud it is often the case that even if you know who pulled off the fraud it isn't easy to actually prove it, because of the absence of log records. Some estimates suggest that only one in three internal hacks can be proved via digital forensics. This fact acts as an incentive to insider fraud or collaborative fraud that involves insiders. Hacker Resources: Botnets It may not occur to you to think this way, but a hacker with a well organized botnets actually has more computing resources than your organization. Botnets often run to tens of thousands of computers and have been known to be larger than a million. A hacker with a botnet is well armed and dangerous. He would be able to multiple attacks at the same time, denial of service plus spam assault plus virus assault plus attack through recent vulnerabilities. The point of such an attack is to keep the IT security staff overwhelmed while you slip in surreptitiously and plant a back door. It will be very hard to identify the one attack that made it through because of the surrounding noise. There's a Market for Stolen Data. You can pull off direct scams, like the recent one hacked in to a bank and raised credit limits on a few hundred cards and then had people all over the globe taking money out from ATMs on those cards. The problem is that you need a big team - although that particular raid netted $9 million, so I guess it could afford a big team. But if you manage, for example, to steal a whole file of thousands of credit card details, you cam always sell the data. Prices of $30 per credit card are not unknown and if you get the PIN number of the card (a difficult data item to get your hands on) then it could be $500 per card. There are markets out in cyberspace where you can sell data-not just credit card data, but Social Security Card data (for US citizens), birth certificate data, billing data and driving license data (all of which can be used to set up bogus bank accounts). The Remote Hacker Is A Safe Hacker Sometimes hackers get caught but remote hackers get caught far less frequently. As a hacker, there's a good deal of sense in making it look like you're working from abroad even if you're not. Throw a bit of Russian into your code or use a few characters from an Arab or Chinese keyboard and always work through botnet PCs that are actually abroad. Keep your money in a convenient offshore account in the Cayman Islands or at least pass all your ill-gotten gain through there. Despite the fact that banks get hacked all the time, when did you ever hear of Cayman bank being hacked? Success Breeds Success Above all else, success is breeding success. Until the risk/reward ratio for hacking activities changes the Black Hats are going to make a good living. Right now the vectors are all in their favor. The recession is ensuring that less money will be spent of IT Security and it will delay the move to more secure operating systems (i.e. to Vista from XP). Even if better security products (like whitelisting products) gain further traction, the growth will be slow and it will be many years before genuine authentication is so widespread that is begins to close the loopholes through which the hackers so deftly navigate. 	 	 		 			 				 					 						Robin Bloor, Founder Bloor Research, Partner Hurwitz & Associates, <a href="http://www.havemacwillblog.com/" target="_new">http://www.havemacwillblog.com/</a>

10 Reasons Why IT Security is Getting Worse Not Better

CNet had an article a while ago an article entitled Data breach incidents are increasing which told the following tale: In the recent pas...