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The boys over at Activewin have done something Microsoft haven't (and should really), they have gone and made a compilation of all the security bulletins released for 2002. Titled Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary List 2002 the list is complete with brief description, date and link to the Technical article on the Microsoft website.

Microsoft also unleashed a campaign in 2002 to better the companies stance towards the customer on security issues, before the release of Windows XP it was widely speculated that Microsoft needed to brush up on its security focus toward customers who just plain didn't know where they could get their "fix" other than good ol Winnie Update.

With the release of the "Security Roll-up Package" Microsoft is on the correct path when it comes to offering tools for administrators to secure their environments. We wish Microsoft a better and more secure 2003 and from what we've seen this year with the first client based Service Pack for Windows (that actually got off the ground and meant something) I think MS are on track to achieving something on the Patch, Secure and Update initiative.

View: Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary List 2002 @ Activewin
View: Security Tools as defined by Microsoft

Microsoft is exceedingly secretive about its Windows source code - the company has so far shared it with only a few big clients and developers. In Asia. MS has shared the Windows source code with select clients in Japan, Korea and Singapore. What appears to have persuaded it to extend the same privilege to the Indian government is the growing attraction here for the Linux OS, which is seen by some state governments as a cheaper alternative to Windows.

Microsoft officials are, of course, playing down the Linux threat. They insisted that Linux wasn't a big issue while selling to the governments in India. Says Peter Hayes, industry vice-president, Microsoft Government: "OS software is merely 1-3% of the total cost of an IT project, and studies have shown that total cost can be lower with Microsoft technologies compared to Linux." The open source software has been grabbing headlines recently as the debate on open versus proprietary software has gained momentum in government circles here.

Says MS boss for shared source program, Jason Matusow, "There has been a lot of hype about open source code in the software industry as well as in the media. Linux might grab headlines, but being able to look at source code doesn't bring any benefits to an average end-user, though it might increase the trust level."

The basic idea behind open source is very simple. When programmers can read, redistribute, and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves. People improve it, people adapt it, people fix bugs. While open source community believes that this process produces better software than the traditional closed model, proponents of proprietary software argue that this model can't work in the commercial world.