Point to ponder

Point to ponder

[Pat Gilliland]

Interesting thought posted on the ELKS list (linux-8086@vger.kernel.org)
Please note the cc before replying

<snip>
BTW, does the use of Linux for military purposes make the open source
development community legitimate targets? I indeed do think so.
Commercial
sw licences specifically prohibite critical applications (nuclear
powerplants, life support and the like) which conveniently covers
military
use, so they are not agreeing to that. Linus should better look out for
the bearded man with thin face...

Sincerely: Tamas Feher
<snip>

My take would be that the Linux/Open Source community has little to
worry about from (to be polite) non-western aligned groups.  Opens
Source puts powerful non-proprietary tools in the hands of anyone with a
modem and time.  Access to source ensures western/hostile intelligence
agencies have not put any backdoors in. The global development community
ensures that a user is not dependant on single source software supplier
bowing to pressure from government to remove support from "undesirable"
groups.  

I can see Microsoft being encouraged by Bush to NOT allow (strictly for
example) Hezbollah to register their copies of XP.  No-one can stop them
from using Linux.  Do the very attributes that make Linux and opensource
so powerful and flexible present a security threat to certain parties?