I get a right good fisking

Over at TechRepublic, a piece I did about desktop Linux and the need for simple security was fisked by J.M. Garvin.

On a technical level it's wrong to call this a fisk. More like a right good padding.

But I wasn't writing on a technical level.

I was writing from a business perspective.

Is Windows inherently less secure than Linux, or just more popular? Presently available data is inconclusive, because Windows still holds the bulk of consumer and small business market share.

There are great tools for Linux security, and Linux security management can be first-rate, but the process needs to be completely automated before the mass market trusts it.

Some Linux users don't want the mass market to use Linux until it learns how to write cron scripts. That's fine. Many Linux users think of "Joe User" as being brain-dead. Some are. (I continue to protect my stupidity, even though I've been online nearly 20 years now.)

But the customer is always right. If you want Joe User (or Jane User, or little Joey User) to use Linux, it's up to the Linux community to convince them that security is something they need not worry their pretty head about.

The need is growing because increasingly, Joe User is a network manager. The kids got PCs, we're all sharing the same broadband. We could do with a cheaper, better solution than "Win-doze." And if we jump, we don't want to be hosed by a bunch of script kiddies jumping on the Linux bandwagon.

Prove we won't be. That's all I'm asking.