CNET News: Decrypting the Secret to Strong Security

“The open-source movement argues that it’s better because ‘lots
of eyes can look at it and find the bugs.’ Those who favor
proprietary software offer two counterarguments: The first is that
a lot of hostile eyes can also look at open-source code–which,
they say, is likely to benefit attackers more than anyone else. The
second point is that a few expert eyes are better than several
random ones; a dedicated organization with responsibility for the
software is a better custodian than the many eyes of the
open-source community.

“There is probably some truth to the notion that giving
programmers access to a piece of software doesn’t guarantee they
will study it carefully. But there is a group of programmers who
can be expected to care deeply: Those who either use the software
personally or work for an enterprise that depends on it….”

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