[Gllug] IE flaws

[John Hearns]

On Tue, 2004-07-13 at 18:34, Martin A. Brooks wrote:
> 
> Today four more serious security flaws have been announced in Internet
> Explorer that could allow a malicious website to take over your
> computer and use it for its own ends.
> 

If we leave discussions about the quality of IE to one side,
I think there should be some discussion of a 'monoculture'.

Repeating what everyone probably learnt in geography lessons,
a monoculture is where farmers grow only one species. A disease can
wipe out that entire species - and there is no natural diversity which
brings resistance.

I think that's one of the beauties of Linux distributions - there is a
choice of applications software.
I suppose this very choice is what many people can't cope with.
Quite often on the Fedora list there are cries of "Why isn't there
an xxx application in Fedora" or "What's the official Fedora xxx
application". For some reason, some people want everything on the 
install CD. 
The gallery may respond here about issues of untrustworthy downloads
of software, and (quite rightly) corporate policy of no software
downloads. But surely your administrator can choose to install an RPM
of some useful application.


I remember it being the same way early in Windows - you had a choice
of databases and word processors.


I venture to say that if 99% of the population switched to using Firefox
on Windows there would be exploits crafted to attack it.
(I know I'm not being accurate here - I'm playing the devils advocate)


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