November 26, 2002

Open source security

Cedric touches on open source security. I agree, but I think the binary comparison is not only misleading – both “open-source” and “closed-source” comprise an awful lot of software – but misses an important point: with closed-source software, you have zero control. None. (Well, if you’re GE or another monster company you probably have some control.) With open-source software my business can fix any bugs we find ourselves, or (much more likely) hire someone else to fix them.

Incidentally, I think on most projects hiring someone for security fixes or smaller features would be a piece of cake and that you wouldn't have to rely on a company backing the project. Money is normally a sufficient reason for hackers to devote more home time coding :-)

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