Realizing the Potential—Partnering with Microsoft into the Future Evaluating Platforms for Business: Linux Compared to Microsoft Windows

OpenBSD 14

SunLinux 21

Trustix 22

EnGarde 27

Microsoft (all

Windows versions

combined) 30

SuSE 39

Sun 47

RedHat 97

Debian 166

Source: CERT Web site: http://www.cert.org/advisories

Decision-makers need to keep an open mind and carefully consider the facts available on not just vulnerabilities by operating system, but also vendor responsiveness and vendor training capabilities. Supporting customers through the issue of timely maintenance releases is of importance to every software vendor. Open Source vendors have additional risk as they partly rely on developers they do not employ for coding key features and on-going maintenance activities. Open Source vendors such as Red Hat recognize this dependency on outside developers as a potential issue and identify it as a “Risk Factor” in their 10 K Report (source: http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/NSD/RHAT/reports/10-K2003.pdf ). Commercial software companies, and their customers, benefit from developer efforts focused on whatever requirements best benefit the customer, whether those requirements are for new features or expediting work on maintenance releases.