[OT] Pegasos PPC

[Atro Tossavainen]

> I seriously can't understand why anyone would want to buy expensive PPC 
> hardware to run YDL linux on it ???

Let me try to explain one angle.

> But if you're looking for a brand new machine to run Linux on, doesn't
> it make more sense to just get a big ugly x86 box with a blazing fast
> cpu and a ton of ram for less than half the price of a mac?

Yes, unless you want to avoid x86 for a reason.

It just so happens that the overwhelming popularity of x86, and of Linux
on that platform, means that exploit programs for security holes are
probably going to pop up for x86 Linux first, and only later for other
platforms if at all.  Exploits are usually hand coded in assembly
language so that they can be made as small as possible.  Consequently,
they have to be targeted for specific platforms.

I see it as buying myself a little extra time to deal with security
problems.  Sure the buffer still overflows and the server program may
still crash, but at least the attacker doesn't get a root shell on
our Xserve with his x86 shellcode.

Don't get me started on why I don't want to run OS X on the Xserve :)

-- 
Atro Tossavainen (Mr.)               / The Institute of Biotechnology at
Systems Analyst, Techno-Amish &     / the University of Helsinki, Finland,
+358-9-19158939  UNIX Dinosaur     / employs me, but my opinions are my own.
< URL : http : / / www . helsinki . fi / %7E atossava / > NO FILE ATTACHMENTS