[Discuss] US Navy buys Linux to guide drone fleet

[Mark Woodward]

On 06/11/2012 07:40 AM, Jerry Feldman wrote:
> On 06/10/2012 09:59 PM, Jack Coats wrote:
>> 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)
> Agreed Jack. While working at Raytheon (for HP) most of our systems were
> HP-UX.
> Certainly Linux has fewer viruses, but is still open to a virus attack
> unless the systems are monitored and hardened. Microsoft has long stated
> that the TCO of Windows is lower than Linux. TCO calculations are very
> subjective. If you have a mixed environment then you need both Windows
> and LInux expertise. But, in the Linux case, DOD can control the OS
> sources, as well as patches very closely. The main issues here are the
> procurement process.
>
I would like to amplify this point and add, because Linux is open source 
and free, the DOD can create its own very safe version of it. 
Furthermore, the types of software needed to control the drones is 
doable in an COTS (Consumer Off-The Shelf) distribution.

The DOD could easily create a "DOD OS" department with a trivial staff. 
Their job would be to acquire some form of Linux, probably debian,  and 
audit every line of code. Once "blessed" just keep track of the patches 
that come from outside. I can't believe they don't already. When I hear 
that they are using Windows for *anything* I just cringe.