I’ve pretty much assumed that technologically speaking, if Windows has it, Unix and the like must also have the same functionality. As I re-engage with Unix and Linux developers and IT professionals in recent months, though, I can see that there are some areas – particularly in security - where Windows is far ahead of the *x operating systems. Here’s a few...

Security expert Bruce Schneier today wrote about the “Storm Worm” again. Go and read it and become very afraid if you are running the Windows operating system. Become even more afraid if you are responsible for a bunch of them, like in a company. And then get a clue and morph them all into something better, like installing any of the Linux/Unix/BSD variants.

I agree that Linux is less vulnerable than Windows, but that doesn’t make it immune to attackers. It’s not always about security flaws, buffer overflows or denial of service attacks. I came up with a list of 10 basic rules that should reduce the security risk.

If you’ve switched to Ubuntu from Windows, there’s a very good chance that the security failings of Windows featured in your decision. By any measure, Microsoft’s record on security within its products is appalling.

One of the areas where Linux really shines is security: you do not really need an antivirus if you are running Linux as an end user. In the Windows world however a good antivirus is almost a requirement as viruses and malwares are commonplace. I have personally seen Windows computers being infected less than an hour after being connected to the internet.

Linux is inherently not a secure operating system. The reason it's not secure is because Linux was based on the architectural design of UNIX, and the creators of UNIX didn't care about security – it was 1969 after all.

LAST YEAR, WE wrote about a controversial report penned by technology research and consulting outfit the Yankee Group, claiming that Windows was more reliable than Linux. The Yankee Group has been busy again this year, but its latest report seems to offer a very different story to last year’s, with Windows now performing significantly worse than its Linux and Unix rivals.

It happens all the time. Sooner or later, every organization may run out of qualified UNIX system administrator / staff because of various issues. As a single admin you may have to do lots of work because other people in accouting, sales, or programmers may not have all the skills required to run servers. Also, I don't trust new people or people with Windows background.

The “What’s the difference between UNIX and Linux?” question can be answered similar to the analogy section that many of us had to complete on the SAT test: UNIX is to DOS as Linux is to Windows.