From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Pat Gilliland Subject: Point to ponder Date: Wed, 04 Dec 2002 13:44:58 -0500 Sender: linux-8086-owner@vger.kernel.org Message-ID: <3DEE4D2A.BBE0ECDE@sympatico.ca> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Return-path: List-Id: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: oclug Cc: linux-8086@vger.kernel.org Interesting thought posted on the ELKS list (linux-8086@vger.kernel.org) Please note the cc before replying 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 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?