Warning on Discussions about Security in unix-wizards

[Eugene Miya]

[leq: Unix, the FORTRAN of operating systems]

This is not a flame; nor is it about security in particular.

I am posting this to unix-wizards because of the reemergence of security
as a topic for flaming on the wizards list.  I realize there are many
people reading this list who are not unix devotees, but I want to point
out to the wizards that what they say can be used against them.

Early on, this discussion broadly covered security in general.  When this
discussion shifts, in particular, to unix security, we create another
set of problems.  To the wizards: there are managers and other people reading
this net who will use this 'security' information as a justification for
not using Unix.  This misaligned viewpoint not only berates this OS, but also
tends to ignore possible security holes in systems such as VMS, VM/370,
OS/32, EXEC*1100, and so on. [What? ...'s OS has security holes?! No way, but
look at Unix...]  To managers of other systems: go to your systems people and
ask "If this problem happens on this other oprating system, can this or any
thing like it happen on our XYZ OS?"  I'm certain many will say no,
[politically], but the value of this will be offset by holes found by others.

I have had more problems with academic seminar speakers on security than
any other single problem.

--eugene miya
  NASA Ames Research Center
  {hplabs,ihnp4,dual,hao,vortex}!ames!aurora!eugene
  emiya at ames-vmsb.ARPA