Microsoft enters the age of mythology

Microsoft put on the Linux bashing hat once again, and the company's British platform strategist Nick McGrath is cheerfully jabbing away.

In an interview with vnunet.com he calls the security of Linux "a myth". Not only do just "a fee hundred developers" work on the suite, no-one takes responsibility for the software.

"Who is accountable for the security of the Linux kernel? Does Red Hat, for example, take responsibility? It cannot, as it does not produce the Linux kernel. It produces one distribution of Linux," McGrath said.

So let's do a fun thought experiment.

Does Microsoft take responsibility and even accountability for Windows? Can a bank file charges against the company when it looses billions of dollars due to a security glitch in Microsoft's software? It can't, because of a nasty little thing called software licences, which force users to waive all their rights to being treated as a paying customer.

If my Ford Explorer rolls over when I make a sharp turn, I can sue Ford because they failed to warn me against this – this isn't a fairy tale: Ford in the past has settled such cases and they do warn against it now. But if Microsoft builds an operating system that costs society billions of dollars (or pounds or euros for that matter) because of sloppy programming, Bill Gates laughs all the way to the bank.

Mr. McGrath, if you want to take on Linux, don't start talking about "responsibility". Coming from Microsoft, the R-word doesn't have much credibility.