[Discuss] US Navy buys Linux to guide drone fleet

[Jack Coats]

Somehow I don't think you are very off base.

They need a 'standard OS' that they can have some
belief that they can understand, without 'hidden source',
and unknown, un-reviewed (by outside eyes), updates,
 whether they are 'security', 'update' or 'other maintenance'.

As a corporate type working for 'big oil' in the past, I had
the same considerations, and they were ignored.  Mainly
due to internal politics and theoretical 'financial issues'
that M$ said it was 'cheaper to run Windows than anything
else'.  (insert more grumbles and whines here)

I am glad there are people taking security seriously in the DOD.
Whether they go with a 'closed' or 'open' source solution,
doesn't really matter.  Secure, auditable, and maintainable
and upgradable is the most important.

It wouldn't be beyond the DOD to come out with edict
to use a 'home rolled' OS, but they don't have to good
a track record for long term software projects (COBOL
being the exception for business use, but ADA worked
it just wasn't the panacea it was supposed to be)