There are many new interesting alternative operating systems: Syllable, Haiku etc. They may promise speed, low system requirements and many good and promising features. But what about security? Is it discussed enough?

On the age of Internet can we even imagine a desktop operating system without a network connection? With networking comes the need for security.

Over at the Open Sources blog, Savio Rodrigues calls attention to two critical security vulnerabilities in the Spring Framework for Java. They were discovered by security consultancy Ounce Labs, which disclosed the exploits in a detailed report. If you use Spring for critical business applications, you'll definitely want to be aware of the threats and take appropriate measures.

Organizations of all sizes need to mitigate the risk of insider threats. Misconduct by authorized users represents a grave threat to an organization. According to the 2005 Computer Security Institute and Federal Bureau of Investigation Computer Crime and Security Survey, organizations reported that computer intrusions from inside sources accounted for nearly half of all incidents.

"If you believe Jeff Jones, Microsoft's security strategy director, then Vista is much more secure than XP, Mac OS X, and Linux."

The evidence shows that Microsoft’s marketing department has not done particularly well with Windows Vista. Almost every story you see about Vista is a negative one. Even I, as a Linux user, think that Vista is better than its reputation. But Microsoft’s marketing is not always a failure, it appears.

My recent post, "Top 5 Things Microsoft Must Fix In Windows Vista In 2008" prompted a slew of comments, consistent with the zeitgeist that the almost-year-old operating system continues to gain adherents on the consumer side, even if it's still spottily deployed in the corporate arena. Still, I have to say I was surprised by how many readers agreed with my main point, which is that Vista's performance ain't yet what it oughta be.

Mac users might less vulnerable to Internet security threats than those who take the Windows route to computing nirvana, but 'less' is not the same as 'not at all' and that's why the world's first miniature hardware Internet security devices for the Mac have been announced today with a little help from Linux.

Technically, Vista is pure misery. It eats system resources like an elephant does peanuts, Windows applications break and its so-called improved security is a joke. I know it. You know it. Even Microsoft's most devoted yes-men know it--although they won't admit it--and perhaps Microsoft knows it as well.

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