[Discuss] US Navy buys Linux to guide drone fleet

[gaf at blu.org (Jerry Feldman)]

On 06/10/2012 09:59 PM, Jack Coats wrote:
> Somehow I don't think you are very off base.
>
> They need a 'standard OS' that they can have some
> belief that they can understand, without 'hidden source',
> and unknown, un-reviewed (by outside eyes), updates,
>  whether they are 'security', 'update' or 'other maintenance'.
>
> As a corporate type working for 'big oil' in the past, I had
> the same considerations, and they were ignored.  Mainly
> due to internal politics and theoretical 'financial issues'
> that M$ said it was 'cheaper to run Windows than anything
> else'.  (insert more grumbles and whines here)
>
> I am glad there are people taking security seriously in the DOD.
> Whether they go with a 'closed' or 'open' source solution,
> doesn't really matter.  Secure, auditable, and maintainable
> and upgradable is the most important.
>
> It wouldn't be beyond the DOD to come out with edict
> to use a 'home rolled' OS, but they don't have to good
> a track record for long term software projects (COBOL
> being the exception for business use, but ADA worked
> it just wasn't the panacea it was supposed to be)
Agreed Jack. While working at Raytheon (for HP) most of our systems were
HP-UX.
Certainly Linux has fewer viruses, but is still open to a virus attack
unless the systems are monitored and hardened. Microsoft has long stated
that the TCO of Windows is lower than Linux. TCO calculations are very
subjective. If you have a mixed environment then you need both Windows
and LInux expertise. But, in the Linux case, DOD can control the OS
sources, as well as patches very closely. The main issues here are the
procurement process.

-- 
Jerry Feldman <gaf at blu.org>
Boston Linux and Unix
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