RE: Checkpoint Acquisition and the future of Open Source Snort

["Paul Melson" <pmelson () gmail com>]

-----Original Message-----
Subject: Re: [Snort-users] Checkpoint Acquisition and the future of Open
Source Snort

> Oh pullleeeze! I predict that Snort will be gone very soon. Let's seeeeee,
a corporate 
> "competitor" buys up an open-source and FREE competitor, and things will
remain the 
> same? Everything will continue to be free and people will continue to
develop for it? 
> Uh-huh. 
>
> You know, I actually wouldn't mind paying a bit for Snort, but mostly
because it is/was 
> a "grassroots program". We support the open-sourced communities. I mean,
open-source is 
> all about alternatives, ingenuity and a sort of 'family'. Well folks, that
is now 
> history. I believe Snort has now been 'sold out'.
>
> The smartest thing for us to do is start looking for an alternative.
>
> And open-source developers need to start building a newer and better
system, if you're 
> a developer and want some fame and recognition, talk to me! I am no
developer, but I 
> know enough about just about everything IT, and even some programming
skills, and would 
> be glad to help. Now is the time to start!


You say the sky is falling on Snort, but I doubt it for a number of reasons.

1. The GPL will minimally allow the ongoing use and development of Snort
2.4.x regardless of what Check Point wants to do.  
2. Snort is a well-known brand in the IDS market - that's value Check Point
would be foolish to throw away or relinquish control of by dismantling its
open source engine.  
3. Check Point has not shown itself to be a company that buys up competition
in order to kill it (with one notable exception - I still maintain that they
bought Zone to keep Cisco from buying them and using Integrity to compete
with SecureClient, but that's another story.)  
4. Sourcefire is more than just Snort.  NIDS is an established market, and
though Snort is a standard player, it would make more sense to me that Check
Point might be pursuing some of the more leading edge stuff Sourcefire
offers, such as RNA and Defense Center.  (And between you and me, Check
Point would do well to sell the Sourcefire appliances instead of their own
starting immediately - InterSpect is a lousy engine, and most people know
it.)

Just my $0.02, but this is much ado about very little.

PaulM



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