Over the years, there have been countless arguments and counter-arguments about Linux security versus MS Windows security. Those of us who have to deal with computer security know that Linux (and other Unix-based OSes) makes it possible to mantain a secure system, whereas Windows is encumbered with a rich legacy of bad design decisions. Unfortunately, there are enough knee-jerk partisans and opinion-for-hire analysts to keep the water perpetually muddy.

These charts show just how much more needlessly complex Windows is, and by extension, how much harder it is to secure. They also help to explain why Windows Vista missed its deadlines by several years. This is why Linux (and Mac OS X, which is similar) get cool new features year after year, whereas every major Windows version is a deadline-breaking fiasco.