[OLPC Security] A mom's worries

[Karl O. Pinc]

On 11/28/2007 10:25:18 PM, Marcus Leech wrote:
> alien wrote:
> >
> > Wow, looks like the antivirus industry is out of business.
> >
...
, *any* piece of software that ever connects to the outside
> world in *any* way could
>   be compromised in some way to achieve "unintended operation".
> 
> The question is, to what extent does the underlying operating system
> reduce the downstream consequences
>   of this?

Another question is: to what extent do the underlying economics
reduce the downstream consequences of this?   For each player
in the marketplace, how much do they stand to gain if the
software they produce is secure?  What is the penalty in
the marketplace for delivering insecure software?
How much would it cost the producer make the software they
deliver secure?

Looking at the question in these terms is one of many useful
back-of-the-envelope evaluation methods available to
non-technical people.


Karl <kop at meme.com>
Free Software:  "You don't pay back, you pay forward."
                  -- Robert A. Heinlein