Linux webserver vs. Windows webserver

I read a short article titled: “Why Windows is less secure than Linux”. Upon reading it, it is more of a comparison of activity between webservers on each platform than a true security comparison, though it does show why one could be more or less secure than the other.

The author includes interesting graphics on the system calls (”A system call is an opportunity to address memory.”) each webserver makes when serving up a single html page with a single picture on it. Note that an opportunity to address memory is an ‘opportunity’ for a security breach.

Of note are two things:
1) There is no indication of what version either the operating systems or the software are that are used in this comparison.

2) If you look at the pictures, past the tracks of the data flows, you’ll see a fairly similar number of processes that would do the system calls in each, yet there is a major difference in the amount of system calls from the Linux webserver to the Windows webserver.

My conclusions?

A Windows webserver is much more active than a Linux webserver in a similar operation, hence, the Linux webserver on a similar machine as a Windows webserver would be able to handle more requests for pages because it is less busy serving up each of those pages than a Windows webserver.

Because of the extra complexity on the part of the Windows webserver alone, the Windows webserver lends itself to more security breaches - based on the theory that the more walls there are, the more ‘windows of opportunity’ there are for a breach.