OS 9.x vs OS X (Server) security
Does anyone happen to know if there are any security holes in the Mac OS??? I can't remember hearing of any. I believe there was a time that the Navy swapped all of their servers with Mac's because they were more secure then their pc counterparts (even if they cost a bit more).
Well, I believe it was the Army that replaced all their web servers with G4's running Web Star on OS 9. The reason for this was because MacOS 9 has no command line and therefore almost impossible to hack. Sure, virii exist but they are very few.
Now, OS X & OS X Server raise a whole new slough of security issues because it's essentially FreeBSD and has command line/remote access. It has the same security features of BSD and some new ones that Apple has thrown into the Darwin layer, but there is a command line and that means there are ways for a determined hacker to get in.
Also, since BSD is a UNIX derivative, it becomes a bit of a playground for UNIX and Linux hackers. Apple is touting the security of OS X and that is tantamount to inviting hackers to mess around with OS X run networks. Hopefully Apple's security claims live up to the challenge.
I have no fear that NT and XP hackers will be dumbfounded by the UNIX aspect of OS X and I doubt that dedicated M$ hackers would even know how to write scripts or executables that could pierce the armor that is BSD/Darwin/OS X. Now the Linux and UNIX geeks are going to be the real "problem". I quote problem becuase these are just the type of people who are going to push the limits of security in OS X and they are also the type of people who are going to make Apple aware of any chinks in the armor, making OS X more secure and stable as time goes on.
Imagine someone thinking they could write a virus for OS X in VBscript!
As for knocking IBM servers. Hrm. Well. At my last job, the compnany was running several IBM AS390/400 (?) servers and serving Lotus Notes to about 2 dozen offices around the world. Even the Macs had access to remote file servers scattered across the world. IBM makes some serious servers as do Sun and SGI. Heck, even a Dell running FreeBSD or Linux makes for a good server environment and they all play nice with OS X and even with OS 9 to a certain extent. It's the Compaqs and hacked together Gateway boxes serving Exchange Server on Win2K where you really run into some serious harware problems.
I know I know, who the heck is going to make a server out of a Gateway, but I've seen it and it's not pretty!
So, OS X running on some serious G4 servers with RAIDs, some serious backup and redundant power supplies could be a very good, scalable server environment. Heck, even a Dell based server running Darwin for x86 could be a very secure, stable and scalable server environment.
Basically, it's a very exciting time to be a Mac user!