Windows Cheaper to Patch Than Open Source?

daria42 writes "Is Windows cheaper to patch than open source software? Of course this Microsoft-commissioned report thinks so - but a number of people disagree, including a key Novell Asia-Pac exec, Paul Kangro. Kangro highlights problems with the report including the fact that it refers to problems faced by administrators before 2003: before significant improvements were made to Linux patching tools. 'We didn't have tools like Xen for Linux then,' says Kangro. 'When I patch my Linux box I don't need to bring it up and down any number of times.' Kangro also points out the report doesn't mention costs associated with rebooting systems after a patch is applied."

yawn whats new

[EEproms_Galore]

Every time I read about another "paid by Billy G" report it always reminds me of the joke.. How many Microsoft engineers does it take to change a lightbulb. None Microsoft defines darkness as the new standard..

Re:yawn whats new

[Anonymous Coward]

Or the other jokoe:

Q: How many Linux engineers does it take the change the lightbuld?

A: RTFM, n00b. J00 suz0r, go back to M$ Winblows, l4m3r.

Re:apt vs windows update

[I confirm I'm not a]

Conversely, windows update only updates windows (not my other apps), and takes at least 15 minutes every time i run it.

Windows Update worked its magic on my workstation yesterday; I was busy and didn't reboot afterwards. For the rest of the morning (until I caved and rebooted the bloody thing) Windows Update popped-up an annoying dialog box every ten? fifteen? minutes inviting me to restart the PC. Needless to say, everytime the diaplog appeared it was when I was typing, and half a line of code got piped to Window's equivalent of /dev/null.

I think we should *thank* Microsoft for promoting Linux ;-)

Other horrible things Linux does......

[i_want_you_to_throw_]

Here's what else the Microsoft report found....

Linux will recalibrate your refrigerator's coolness setting so all your ice cream melts and milk curdles. It will demagnetize the strips on all your credit cards, reprogram your ATM access code, screw up the tracking on your VCR and use subspace field harmonics to scratch any CDs you try to play. It will give your ex-boy/girlfriend your new phone number. It will mix antifreeze into your fish tank. It will drink all your beer and leave its dirty socks on the coffee table when there's company coming over. It will hide your car keys when you are late for work and interfere with your car radio so that you hear only static while stuck in traffic. Linux will make you fall in love with a hardened pedophile. It will give you nightmares about circus midgets. It will replace your shampoo with Nair and your Nair with Rogaine, all while your current boy/girlfriend is dating behind your back and billing their hotel rendezvous to your Visa card. It will seduce your grandmother. It does not matter if she is dead, such is the power of Linux, it reaches out beyond the grave to sully those things we hold most dear. Linux will give you Dutch Elm disease. It will leave the toilet seat up and leave the hairdryer plugged in dangerously close to a full bathtub. It will remove the forbidden tags from your mattresses and pillows, and refill your skim milk with whole. It is insidious and subtle. It is dangerous and terrifying to behold. It is also a rather interesting shade of mauve. These are just a few signs. Be afraid. Be very, very afraid. Windows is so much safer.

The weak spot in the credibility is always..."Microsoft commissioned report".
(Apologies to Laika)

Windows is buggier

[Orion Blastar's Psyc]

and needs more patches. But Microsoft releases them so slow, and each patch causes more bugs.

Re:Reboots

[Anonymous Coward]

So you're going to run your stock exchange on one non-redundant server? Unless it' a mainframe, I can't imagine anyone doing that.

Re:yawn whats new

[Intron]

Q. how many Apple engineers does it take:

A: We don't use light bulbs any more. We have high brightness iLED displays for only $599.

Re:yawn whats new

[yasth]

Or the other other one:

Q: How many *BSD engineers does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: One could probably do it, if only there were any left.

I hacked that computer.

[mshiltonj]

From the hours of 8-5 any downtime would cost over $10k/second

I hacked that computer and installed an application. It's pretty brilliant. What it does is every time there's a bank transaction where interest is computed, you know, thousands a day? The computer ends up with these fractions of a cent, which it usually rounds off? What this does is takes those little remainders and puts them into an account.

-- This sounds familiar.

Yeah, they did it in Superman 3.

-- Right.

Underrated movie, actually.

Re:yawn whats new

[hcdejong]

Or:

Q: How many IBM engineers does it take to change a lightbulb?

A1: That depends on your service contract.

A2: 31. Four to schmooze the customer, sixteen to go over the contract, three to prepare the site for installation, one to operate the crane, one to drive the truck that carries the replacement, four to oversee installation, one to flip the switch and one to actually install the bulb.

Re:yawn whats new

[Anonymous Coward]

A3: 1, but he has just been laid off to drive up the stock price. Anyway, without a working light bulb in place expenses for electricity also go down, driving stock price up yet further, justifying high management bonuses.