At first blush, Microsoft hounds might want to pounce on Apple's release of over 80 vulnerability fixes this week. But before anyone bears that red M tattooed on their chest, you should take another look at Apple's updates.
Though Apple may not be very friendly to security researchers who plan to go public with Apple-born security issues, Apple is being a good open source citizen. Reportedly, over half the software security fixes this month are actually in or part of open source software (OSS) packages.
[Correction] Here's the list software updated, which includes open source software...
AFP Client, AFP Server, Apache, AppKit, Application Firewall, CFNetwork, ClamAV, CoreFoundation, CUPS, curl, Emacs, file, Foundation, Help Viewer, Image Raw, Kerberos, libc, mDNSResponder, notifyd, OpenSSH, pax archive utility, PHP, Podcast Producer, Preview, Printing, System Configuration, UDF, Wiki Server, and X11.
While I'm certainly no Apple fanboy, I give kudos to Apple. Whether or not it's just a necessary thing to do in order to keep OS X secure, there are some significant benefits to Apple's use of open source and Mac OS X being built on BSD.
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Mitchell Ashley is principal consultant at Converging Network LLC where he provides product, technology and social media consulting to emerging technology companies. A successful CTO and product innovator, Mitchell has created many successful, award winning products in the networking, security, convergence, Internet and IT industries. In addition to blogging for NetworkWorld, Mitchell regularly blogs at TheConvergingNetwork and co-hosts the widely popular StillSecure After All These Years podcast.
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Apple distributed, not fixed
I'm guessing you don't mean that Apple fixed the Open Source software themselves.
What you probably mean is that Apple took existing fixes from these Open Source products and distributed them as part of their security update.
Apple Gives Back
Any open software developed by Apple will often get put back into the community, that is, if sections of the software do not directly relate to Cocoa or other *only* Mac OS X technologies.
I'd say the biggest example of this is WebKit.
I agree with the misleading title...
and Apple is even delayed on distributing those fixes based on their release cycle.
Correction please!
Apple only distributed what others in the OSS world have fixed. Apple uses OSS software to their advantage to keep their development staff to minimum.
fixes
Well, I -am- an Apple fanboy and as such I applaud Apple's never ending effort to drive excellence and quality in their products.
Have Apple's practices sometimes been misunderstood: by the people who don't 'get it', certainly.
Has Apple produced great products for ever more people nonetheless? Absolutely.
Will Apple continue to drive innovation and great products at a great price? Have no doubt.
Apple has been doing stellar work for over a decade now, not surprisingly due to the active participation of Steve Jobs.
Thank you, Apple!
[See, I -am- a fanboy, but at the same time I haven't said a bad word about anybody else, now have I?]
La-de-freakin'-da!
That's great! Now, WHEN exactly are they giving the Linux/BSD communities the code they use that seem to make every peripheral "just work?"
So, they haven't said anything about that yet.
Hmm...
La-De-Freakin'-Thank-You
Thanks, btw, for the la-de-freakin'-da in your comment. That gave me a good laugh and made my day :)
Mitchell Ashley
Converging Network, LLC
Personal blog: http://theconvergingnetwork.com
Personal podcast: http://www.clickcaster.com/ss
TFA gets it wrong
Whoever wrote this article clearly knows nothing about Apple software. Many of the items on that list aren't even open source! Since when have Foundation and AppKit, _the heart of Apple's GUI and Object-Oriented technologies_ been open source?
In fact, if you follow that link, the list of software is the stuff affected by security problems, NOT the open source software. Even without understanding Apple software, someone with a good grasp of English could figure that out. What gives?
Correction noted
You are correct in catching that is the list of software fixed in the security update, not just the open source packages.
Thanks for catching the error.
Mitchell Ashley
Converging Network, LLC
Personal blog: http://theconvergingnetwork.com
Personal podcast: http://www.clickcaster.com/ss
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