Weekly news wrap-up: Mozilla 1.0 released, Linux more secure than some might think

The big news for the week was the release of Mozilla 1.0 after the browser had been in development for four years. The release opened a floodgate of reviews, mostly positive, including one from Tina Gasperson, who marveled at the browser’s configurability.
Other Mozilla reviews: CNet called it good but no Internet Explorer killer, while eWeek says Mozilla “impresses from all angles.”

What’s the problem with Linux security?

Robin “Roblimo” Miller points out that the cross-platform Simile.D virus, which is supposed to attack Linux as well as Windows, only works on Linux if you’re running as root. Now, who’s dumb enough to do that? Robin also suggests a “new” way of keeping your systems secure: Running operating systems so old the young script kiddies don’t know what to do with them.

Speaking of security, a soon-to-be-released white paper questioning Open Source security has some questions about who funded it. Conservative think tank Alexis de Tocqueville Institution has received funding from Microsoft in the past, although it won’t disclose who funded this current study. We spoke to study author Ken Brown, who runs Apache on the think tank’s Web site, and found a lot of assumptions he’s making about security that Open Source fans could argue with.Editor’s note: Here’s a link to the study, apparently released June 10.

Nader vs. Microsoft

Former U.S. presidential candidate Ralph Nader and technology consumer advocate Jamie Love threw their hats into the Microsoft antitrust debate this week. Nader and Love suggest the U.S. government could easily end the Microsoft monopoly by putting limits on the amount of Microsoft products it will buy. That’d give a new advantage to Linux and companies like Apple. Of course, it didn’t take long for someone to find fault with the Nader/Love idea. ZDNet said the courts should deal with antitrust and government offices should decide to buy Microsoft products on their merits.

Odds ‘n’ ends