April 21,
2008: One method of protecting your military networks from hackers is to use an
operating system other than the ubiquitous Microsoft Windows (which controls
over 85 percent of the market). Linux has been a popular choice for the
military. The U.S. Navy uses Linux to run critical systems on its warships. The
U.S. Army is using Linux for its networked FCS (Future Combat System) vehicles
(which are still in development). The
army is also converting many of its Microsoft Windows applications to run under
Linux.
It's not
just the better security Linux provides, but the fact that there are many
versions of Linux to choose from, and the operating system is easier to modify
(being an "open source" system, unlike the proprietary Windows.) Currently, the
U.S. Department of Defense has over 200 Linux based software projects in
development.
China has
also gone down this route, and is trying to get all Chinese computer users to
switch to Linux. This has proved difficult, because so many Chinese use stolen
Windows software to run their businesses. Often, there is no Linux alternative
for key Windows applications. The military, however, uses custom made software
for its most critical applications, and it's easier to create this stuff using
Linux.
