I'm having an argument with my father, he doesn't want or "allows" any computer to run Linux because he says "everyone can see the code and everyone can make changes". I'm trying to explain to him that it doesn't work like that in such a general sense (except for viewing the code). How would I explain to him how the kernel is maintained as well as the district Ubuntu as that's the one I want to install.

Is it better to trust something you pay for or something you build?--http://itsecurityguru.org/open-source-safe/

• http://manybooks.net/titles/williams...04freed10.html
• http://www.pcworld.com/article/19778...urce_safe.html
• http://www.csoonline.com/article/235...-security.html
• http://techrights.org/2010/07/23/mic...-hiding-flaws/

Security experts want you to know about bugs and holes proprietary OSs don't!

I'd skim through all of the next two sites\links for more selling points:
--http://www.ubuntu.com/about/canonical-and---http://www.canonical.com/about
Best wishes and have fun.

The code which we can all see will be gibberish to the vast majority of people. Most of us would not know where to begin to make any changes. Also, as stated above, the software code is in repositories controlled by the developers who check it regularly. With Open Source, if some 'exploit' is discovered there is competition to remedy it and solutions are usually found much more quickly. Someone who finds an exploit in Open Source will get positive reinforcement for the discovery although not as much as the person who finds a solution to it.

With proprietary code, you have to totally trust the company which writes the code and believe that they have your best interests in mind. There have been countless instances over the years where some exploit has been discovered in proprietary code and the code creator has been informed. First thing they do, deny it. Next is saying they are working on it and will resolve it which they often do, eventually. Meanwhile, the users of their code can be suffering whatever problems the 'exploit' creates.

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True.

False.

Every open source project has one or some person(s) who has/have the passwords for their infrastructure. Everyone else does not have the passwords. I can not go and make stealth changes to ubuntu. As you cannot, too, and your father cannot, too. To believe such a thing is silly.

However, I don't know how to convince your father. Who am I anyway? ;-)

(Mostly) project wide yes but once you have the code you can change\use\learn-from it, freedom (2nd link in my post.)

Many of the biggest security risks out there are letting someone have access to your keyboard, hardware and such. microcoughed-windblow$ is not secure just throwing money at it, it's more secure if you put time and effort in but if the code is hidden for proprietary reasons it makes that job more difficult. Anyone with billion$, in a world of billions, is trying to twist your arm!--RMS

Did you show your dad your phone?

Thank you guys for your help, hopefully he realize where he was wrong and the benefits of using linux/open source software.

Yeah...if he owns an Android, he's running the Linux kernel. Ask him if he thinks his phone is secure. Then tell him that uses the same open-source code that Linux does.

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