[Top][All Lists]
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
www/software reliability.html
|
From: |
Yavor Doganov |
|
Subject: |
www/software reliability.html |
|
Date: |
Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:09:08 +0000 |
CVSROOT: /web/www
Module name: www
Changes by: Yavor Doganov <yavor> 08/10/08 14:09:08
Modified files:
software : reliability.html
Log message:
Validation and boilerplate compliance fixes. Add French to
translations-list.
CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/software/reliability.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.14&r2=1.15
Patches:
Index: reliability.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/software/reliability.html,v
retrieving revision 1.14
retrieving revision 1.15
diff -u -b -r1.14 -r1.15
--- reliability.html 20 Mar 2008 13:57:05 -0000 1.14
+++ reliability.html 8 Oct 2008 14:09:04 -0000 1.15
@@ -1,146 +1,185 @@
<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
+<title>Free Software is More Reliable! - GNU Project - Free Software
Foundation (FSF)</title>
+<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
+<h2>Free Software is More Reliable!</h2>
- <title>Free Software is More Reliable! - GNU Project - Free
- Software Foundation (FSF)</title>
+<p>Apologists
+for <a href="/philosophy/categories.html#ProprietarySoftware">proprietary
+software</a> like to say, “<a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">
+free software</a> is a nice dream, but we all know that only the
+proprietary system can produce reliable products. A bunch of hackers
+just can't do this.”</p>
+
+<p>Empirical evidence disagrees, however; scientific tests, described
+below, have found GNU software to be <em>more</em> reliable than
+comparable proprietary software.</p>
+
+<p>This should not be a surprise; there are good reasons for the high
+reliability of GNU software, good reasons to expect free software will
+often (though not always) have high reliability.</p>
+
+<h3 id="GNUUtilitiesSafer">GNU Utilities Safer!</h3>
+
+<p>Barton P. Miller and his colleagues tested the reliability of Unix
+utility programs in 1990 and 1995. Each time, GNU's utilities came
+out considerably ahead. They tested seven commercial Unix systems as
+well as GNU. By subjecting them to a random input stream, they could
+“crash (with core dump) or hang (infinite loop) over 40% (in the
+worst case) of the basic utility programs…”</p>
+
+<p>These researchers found that the commercial Unix systems had a
+failure rate that ranged from 15% to 43%. In contrast, the failure
+rate for GNU was only 7%.</p>
+
+<p>Miller also said that, “the three commercial systems that we
+compared in both 1990 and 1995 noticeably improved in reliability, but
+still had significant rates of failure (the basic utilities from
+GNU/Linux still were noticeably better than those of the commercial
+systems).”</p>
+
+<p>For details, see their
+paper: <a
href="ftp://ftp.cs.wisc.edu/pub/paradyn/technical_papers/fuzz-revisited.ps";>
+Fuzz Revisited: A Re-examination of the Reliability of Unix Utilities
+and Services (postscript 146k)</a> by Barton
+P. Miller <a href="mailto:address@hidden";><address@hidden></a>,
+David Koski, Cjin Pheow Lee, Vivekananda Maganty, Ravi Murthy,
+Ajitkumar Natarajan, and Jeff Steidl.</p>
+
+<h3 id="WhyReliable">Why Free Software is More Reliable</h3>
+
+<p>It is no fluke that the GNU utilities are so reliable. There are
+good reasons why free software tends to be of high quality.</p>
+
+<p>One reason is that free software gets the whole community involved
+in working together to fix problems. Users not only report bugs, they
+even fix bugs and send in fixes. Users work together, conversing by
+email, to get to the bottom of a problem and make the software work
+trouble-free.</p>
+
+<p>Another is that developers really care about reliability. Free
+software packages do not always compete commercially, but they still
+compete for a good reputation, and a program which is unsatisfactory
+will not achieve the popularity that developers hope for. What's
+more, an author who makes the source code available for all to see
+puts his reputation on the line, and had better make the software
+clean and clear, on pain of the community's disapproval.</p>
+
+<h3 id="CancerClinicReliesOnFreeSoftware">Cancer Clinic Relies on Free
+Software!</h3>
+
+<p>The Roger Maris Cancer Center in Fargo, North Dakota (the same
+Fargo which was recently the scene of a movie and a flood) uses
+Linux-based GNU systems precisely because reliability is essential. A
+network of GNU/Linux machines runs the information system, coordinates
+drug therapies, and performs many other functions. This network needs
+to be available to the Center's staff at a moment's notice.</p>
+
+<p>According to
+Dr. G.W. Wettstein <a href="mailto:address@hidden";>
+<address@hidden></a>:</p>
-<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
+<blockquote>
+<p>
+The proper care of our cancer patients would not be what it is today
+without [GNU/]Linux … The tools that we have been able to
+deploy from free software channels have enabled us to write and
+develop innovative applications which … do not exist through
+commercial avenues.
+</p>
+</blockquote>
-<h2>Free Software is More Reliable!</h2>
- <p>Apologists for <a href=
- "/philosophy/categories.html#ProprietarySoftware">proprietary
- software</a> like to say, ``<a href=
- "/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a> is a nice dream, but
- we all know that only the proprietary system can produce reliable
- products. A bunch of hackers just can't do this.''</p>
-
- <p>Empirical evidence disagrees, however; scientific tests,
- described below, have found GNU software to be <em>more</em>
- reliable than comparable proprietary software.</p>
-
- <p>This should not be a surprise; there are good reasons for the
- high reliability of GNU software, good reasons to expect free
- software will often (though not always) have high
- reliability.</p>
- <hr />
-
- <h4 id="GNUUtilitiesSafer">GNU Utilities
- Safer!</h4>Barton P. Miller and his colleagues tested the
- reliability of Unix utility programs in 1990 and 1995. Each time,
- GNU's utilities came out considerably ahead. They tested seven
- commercial Unix systems as well as GNU. By subjecting them to a
- random input stream, they could ``crash (with core dump) or hang
- (infinite loop) over 40% (in the worst case) of the basic utility
- programs ...''
-
- <p>These researchers found that the commercial Unix systems had a
- failure rate that ranged from 15% to 43%. In contrast, the
- failure rate for GNU was only 7%.</p>
-
- <p>Miller also said that, ``the three commercial systems that we
- compared in both 1990 and 1995 noticeably improved in
- reliability, but still had significant rates of failure (the
- basic utilities from GNU/Linux still were noticeably better than
- those of the commercial systems).''</p>
-
- <p>For details, see their paper: <a href=
- "ftp://ftp.cs.wisc.edu/pub/paradyn/technical_papers/fuzz-revisited.ps";>
- Fuzz Revisited: A Re-examination of the Reliability of Unix
- Utilities and Services (postscript 146k)</a> by Barton P. Miller
- <a href="mailto:address@hidden";><address@hidden></a>,
- David Koski, Cjin Pheow Lee, Vivekananda Maganty, Ravi Murthy,
- Ajitkumar Natarajan, and Jeff Steidl.</p>
-
- <h4 id="WhyReliable">Why Free Software is More Reliable</h4>It is
- no fluke that the GNU utilities are so reliable. There are good
- reasons why free software tends to be of high quality.
-
- <p>One reason is that free software gets the whole community
- involved in working together to fix problems. Users not only
- report bugs, they even fix bugs and send in fixes. Users work
- together, conversing by email, to get to the bottom of a problem
- and make the software work trouble-free.</p>
-
- <p>Another is that developers really care about reliability. Free
- software packages do not always compete commercially, but they
- still compete for a good reputation, and a program which is
- unsatisfactory will not achieve the popularity that developers
- hope for. What's more, an author who makes the source code
- available for all to see puts his reputation on the line, and had
- better make the software clean and clear, on pain of the
- community's disapproval.</p>
-
- <h4 id="CancerClinicReliesOnFreeSoftware">Cancer Clinic Relies on Free
- Software!</h4>The Roger Maris Cancer Center in Fargo, North
- Dakota (the same Fargo which was recently the scene of a movie
- and a flood) uses Linux-based GNU systems precisely because
- reliability is essential. A network of GNU/Linux machines runs
- the information system, coordinates drug therapies, and performs
- many other functions. This network needs to be available to the
- Center's staff at a moment's notice.
-
- <p>According to Dr. G.W. Wettstein <a href=
- "mailto:address@hidden";><address@hidden></a>:</p>
-
- <blockquote>
- <p>
- The proper care of our cancer patients would not be what it
- is today without [GNU/]Linux ... The tools that we have been
- able to deploy from free software channels have enabled us to
- write and develop innovative applications which ... do not
- exist through commercial avenues.
- </p>
- </blockquote>
-
- <h4 id="Bulletproof">Bulletproof GNU Utilities!</h4><a href=
- "mailto:address@hidden";>Scott Maxwell</a> is leading an effort
- to eliminate "fuzz bugs" from GNU software, thus making them even
- more reliable. You can read about the project on <a href=
-
"http://home.pacbell.net/s-max/scott/bulletproof-penguin.html";>http://home.pacbell.net/s-max/scott/bulletproof-penguin.html</a>.
+<h3 id="Bulletproof">Bulletproof GNU Utilities!</h3>
+
+<p>Scott Maxwell <a href="mailto:address@hidden";>
+<address@hidden></a> is leading an effort to eliminate
+“fuzz bugs” from GNU software, thus making them even more
+reliable. You can read about the project
+on <a href="http://home.pacbell.net/s-max/scott/bulletproof-penguin.html";>
+http://home.pacbell.net/s-max/scott/bulletproof-penguin.html</a>.</p>
</div>
<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
<div id="footer">
+
<p>
-Please inquire about <acronym title="GNU's Not Unix!">GNU</acronym> by
-Email: <a href="mailto:address@hidden";>address@hidden</a>,
-Voice: +1-617-542-5942, or Fax: +1-617-542-2652.
+Please send FSF & GNU inquiries to
+<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
+There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>
+the FSF.
+<br />
+Please send broken links and other corrections or suggestions to
+<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
</p>
<p>
-Please send broken links and other web page suggestions to
-<a href="/people/webmeisters.html">The <acronym title="GNU's Not
Unix!">GNU</acronym> Webmasters</a> at
-<a href="mailto:address@hidden";>address@hidden</a>
+Please see the
+<a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
+README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting
+translations of this article.
</p>
<p>
-Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
-2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
-<a href="http://www.fsf.org";>Free Software Foundation</a>, Inc.,
-51 Franklin St - Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
-<br />
-Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are
-permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided
-this notice, and the copyright notice, are preserved.
+Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005,
+2006, 2007, 2008 <a href="http://www.fsf.org";>Free Software
+Foundation</a>, Inc.,</p>
+<address>51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110, USA</address>
+<p> Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are
+permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this
+notice, and the copyright notice, are preserved.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Updated:
+<!-- timestamp start -->
+$Date: 2008/10/08 14:09:04 $
+<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
-<p>Updated: <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2008/03/20 13:57:05 $
-<!-- timestamp end --></p>
</div>
+
<div id="translations">
<h4>Translations of this page</h4>
+
+<!-- Please keep this list alphabetical by language code. -->
+<!-- Comment what the language is for each type, i.e. de is German. -->
+<!-- Write the language name in its own language (Deutsch) in the text. -->
+<!-- If you add a new language here, please -->
+<!-- advise address@hidden and add it to -->
+<!-- - /home/www/html/server/standards/README.translations.html -->
+<!-- - one of the lists under the section "Translations Underway" -->
+<!-- - if there is a translation team, you also have to add an alias -->
+<!-- to mail.gnu.org:/com/mailer/aliases -->
+<!-- Please also check you have the language code right; see: -->
+<!-- http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php -->
+<!-- If the 2-letter ISO 639-1 code is not available, -->
+<!-- use the 3-letter ISO 639-2. -->
+<!-- Please use W3C normative character entities. -->
+
<ul class="translations-list">
- <li><a href="/software/reliability.ca.html">Catalan</a></li>
- <li><a href="/software/reliability.zh-cn.html">Chinese(Simplified)</a></li>
- <li><a href="/software/reliability.zh-tw.html">Chinese(Traditional)</a></li>
- <li><a href="/software/reliability.de.html">German</a></li>
- <li><a href="/software/reliability.html">English</a></li>
- <li><a href="/software/reliability.id.html">Indonesian</a></li>
- <li><a href="/software/reliability.ja.html">Japanese</a></li>
- <li><a href="/software/reliability.pl.html">Polish</a></li>
- <li><a href="/software/reliability.pt-br.html">Brazilian Portuguese</a></li>
- <li><a href="/software/reliability.ru.html">Russian</a></li>
- <li><a href="/software/reliability.es.html">Spanish</a></li>
+<!-- Catalan -->
+<li><a href="/software/reliability.ca.html">Català</a> [ca]</li>
+<!-- German -->
+<li><a href="/software/reliability.de.html">Deutsch</a> [de]</li>
+<!-- English -->
+<li><a href="/software/reliability.html">English</a> [en]</li>
+<!-- Spanish -->
+<li><a href="/software/reliability.es.html">Español</a> [en]</li>
+<!-- French -->
+<li><a href="/software/reliability.fr.html">Français</a> [fr]</li>
+<!-- Indonesian -->
+<li><a href="/software/reliability.id.html">Bahasa Indonesia</a> [id]</li>
+<!-- Japanese -->
+<li><a
href="/software/reliability.ja.html">日本語</a> [ja]</li>
+<!-- Polish -->
+<li><a href="/software/reliability.pl.html">Polski</a> [pl]</li>
+<!-- Brazilian Portuguese -->
+<li><a href="/software/reliability.pt-br.html">português do
Brasil</a> [pt-br]</li>
+<!-- Russian -->
+<li><a
href="/software/reliability.ru.html">Русский</a> [ru]</li>
+<!-- Chinese (Simplified) -->
+<li><a
href="/software/reliability.zh-cn.html">简体中文</a> [zh-cn]</li>
+<!-- Chinese (Traditional) -->
+<li><a
href="/software/reliability.zh-tw.html">繁體中文</a> [zh-tw]</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
- www/software reliability.html,
Yavor Doganov <=