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Technology
Developments and Trends
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Developments and Trends
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Does Software Evolve?
Meir Lehman argues that it does - and frequently in unhealthy ways.
Windows Monocultural Security Risks: A Lesson From Genetics
Very important reading on a number of fronts, the most critical being a discussion of the risks posed by the dominance of a single computing architecture across multiple platforms. You've already experienced it with Windows and the number of viruses which plague that OS. Work with a Mac and you'll rarely see a virus. It has less to do with the relative difficulty of creating a virus on one platform or the other - although that's a factor - than it does with the size of the target. It's like robbers stealing from banks because that's where the money is - if you're going to create a virus, you want to ensure it's distributed far and wide. That means you aim for Windows. But what happens when Windows - or any OS - runs everything? Welcome to the risk of monocultures.
Meir Lehman argues that it does - and frequently in unhealthy ways.
A unified theory of software evolution. Meir Lehman has been studying the life cycles of computer programs since he was a researcher at IBM 30 years ago. One of these days he's going to get it all figured out. [Salon.com]
10:09:58 PM 
Windows Monocultural Security Risks: A Lesson From Genetics
Very important reading on a number of fronts, the most critical being a discussion of the risks posed by the dominance of a single computing architecture across multiple platforms. You've already experienced it with Windows and the number of viruses which plague that OS. Work with a Mac and you'll rarely see a virus. It has less to do with the relative difficulty of creating a virus on one platform or the other - although that's a factor - than it does with the size of the target. It's like robbers stealing from banks because that's where the money is - if you're going to create a virus, you want to ensure it's distributed far and wide. That means you aim for Windows. But what happens when Windows - or any OS - runs everything? Welcome to the risk of monocultures.
Anti-Trustworthy computing. Microsoft's new security drive aims to appease Hollywood, comfort consumers and reinvigorate the PC. But will the price for such safety be too high? [Salon.com]
9:54:03 PM