No subject

But the RFC still stands... [From what I read]
===

"Is Linux the Key to Securing Cyberspace?"
       Medill News Service (10/29/02); Madigan, Michelle 

       A Washington, D.C., security summit held yesterday focused on how
       open source technologies can more effectively protect networks and
       computer systems than proprietary technologies, but the federal
       government is still refusing to take sides, according to White House
       cybersecurity official Marcus Sachs. Open source code such as Linux can
       be more readily customized by users, allowing repairs and incremental
       improvements to be implemented on an as-needed basis, noted
       Australian software engineering professor and summit attendee Bill
       Caelli, who added that proprietary systems prevent such tweaking of
       security infrastructure. He acknowledged that both open source and
       proprietary software have their faults, but said glitches in an open source
       system can be fixed faster. Despite the government's policy of
       noninvolvement, federal agencies are not prohibited from deploying
       open source technologies, and a few have already done so. Summit
       attendee Dwight Gibbs commented that an environment that combines
       both open source and proprietary technologies could be the optimal
       solution. Sachs insisted that the White House is aware of the nation's
       dependence on cyberspace and its vulnerabilities, but said that it would
       rather demonstrate leadership than regulate security initiatives. The
       National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace calls upon government
       agencies, businesses, individuals, and academic institutions to deploy
       cyber-defenses themselves. Internet security specialist James Griffin
       countered that leaving market forces to work out the debate has
       resulted in poor-quality software, since organizations and individuals
       have no real incentive to promote security.

-- 
--------
Steve Jenkin, Unix Sys Admin
PO Box 48, Kippax, ACT 2615
0412 786 915