Microsoft's recent offer of monetary rewards to turn in virus writers is the latest effort in its campaign of fear, uncertainty and distrust, a campaign birthed from the company's justified fear of "open source software."
OSS is software with source code available to the public for review and debugging. Some examples of OSS are the BSD, Unix and GNU/Linux operating systems, the new versions of the Mac operating system, and most of the programs and protocols that brought the Internet into existence. OSS is created by programmers, from systems administrators to hackers, who contribute their time and effort freely and openly to develop secure and functional software for the public.
In contrast, Microsoft's Windows code is closed, or proprietary, which means it is unavailable for the public to view or to test for its many inherent flaws. Buyers of the software can't verify the security of the software, and control is taken from the user. Perhaps if programmers had been allowed to audit Windows, the spread of worms and viruses might have been prevented.
What Microsoft doesn't want users to know is that writing a virus or a worm (two different problems) in this country is legal and is in fact an integral part of security testing and debugging. With a quick online search, many a virus or worm can be found in its harmless, uncompiled form. Virus and worm releasers aren't even the reason for computer insecurity, as Bill Gates would have users believe.
The insecure and poorly designed code in Windows and its programs is the source of virus and worm woes. Windows thinks for you, allowing program files (brought, perhaps, by opening an infected e-mail attachment) to take control of your computer away from you. The Windows e-mail client, Outlook Express, automatically downloads whatever is sent to your e-mail address, regardless of the dangers of file attachments.
Both McAfee and Norton antivirus software (included on many Windows machines) will allow a virus or worm to control the antivirus program, while programs from overseas like Kaspersky are much more secure and keep control in the hands of the user, where it belongs. Kaspersky is used by professional programmers on many different operating systems.
Through development of OSS, computer professionals, hackers and virus writers are also the people who make the systems more secure - for free. They debug OSS before it is released, a practice that is expensive to the Microsoft corporation and results in many Windows holes.
Gates should spend his money to fix his code or have Windows step aside for the public good. OSS is more secure and cost-effective, as personal users, domestic and foreign governments - most recently, Brazil - have chosen. Before you turn in the virus or worm writer, keep in mind that he or she has found and made public the problems that you were too ignorant to catch. He or she is the reason government computers securely hold your information on the cream of the software crop.
Gates can keep his pocket change and cling to his shreds of control. OSS is Microsoft's No. 1 threat. Gates' code has failed time and again but continues to earn him money, while OSS has had years of uptime sans "blue screen of death" because of dedicated professional hackers.
Audra Baker is ajournalism and biology major with hatred for Power Point presentations. Reach her at audra.baker@asu.edu.
