Re: XP has no significant bugs that any significant number of users want fixed

>> Currently the biggest source of frustration comes from things like
>viruses,
>> worms, adware, spam, etc. These aren't exactly Microsoft's fault. The problem is caused by degenerate elements
>of
>> society that have obtained excessively high levels of technological
>> sophistication.

It does not take a Harvard Graduate to create and propagate a virus. Its
really rather easy, so don't be giving kudos to hackers who are still in
high school. Windows is the only OS on earth that allows a virus to take
it over, run programs, and send itself off to every port on the internet.
You can infect a MAC, or OS/2 and Linux, but you cannot make them
propagate the virus over the network.

It is okay to say its not M$'s fault. Their goal has never been security,
or virus free computers. On the other hand, if we bought cars that didn't
have windshields, and our faces were pockmarked from all the rocks flying
about at 75MPH, we may blame the rocks, but we turn to the car maker to
fix the obvious problem and protect our faces. The car makers don't wait
till a lot of people get their heads smashed before seeing and fixing the
problem.

When there is a design flaw found in car seats that can injure a child if
the car turns over during a crash, we might say its the driver's fault for
crashing the car and flipping it over, but we look to the car seat
manufacturer to defend against the problem of crashes. The car seat makers
are responsible enough to not wait for thousands of children to die before
taking responsibility and fixing the problem.

When someone creates software that deliberately lays itself open to attack
from hackers, then let us blame the hackers, but look to the software
maker to FIX the problem. Microsoft does not fix security issues, the
offer updates after the fact. That is akin to waiting till your eyes are
crushed from lack of a windshield, and then Ford gives you a coupon for
safety glasses, or your child is killed in a crash, and you get a discount
on the funeral.

True, there is a difference between life and death, and software, but the
attitude of "its not their fault" flies in the face of the way we deal
with every other manufacturer of products.

The inherent design of windows software is flawed because bg wants every
program to have access to every other program, he wants emails to open
automatically, movies to pop up and run, and he wants his web site to be
able to access your machine through IE.

That is his privilege, but if we want security, and fewer viruses and
spyware, we ought to go back to the guy who makes the software and say
"hey, patches after the fact are nice, but we want something more secure
than that to begin with" and they ought to provide it.

IE and Outlook are the "criminals" in much of this. It does not take much
of a brain to write a virus, and ask windows to propogate it by launching
itself out over IP port based on the address book in Outlook.

>Oh, one more thing about security. Microsoft does care about security,
>and they are doing things to actively combat these problems. They are
>constantly releasing large quantities of security updates and other fixes
>on a very regular basis.

These all happen after the fact tho. Viruses hit, people suffer the
consequences, and then there is a patch. Big deal, ..... by then, several
vendors already have a fix on the street.

Auto updates are wonderful for those with broadband, but don't pat bill on
the head for giving dialup customers a 135M download to get updated :-)
and don't talk to people I know who get the auto updates, and their system
becomes unstable, or crashes even more. Stores are full of AOL, and other
ISP software, but if you want SP2 because the software you just paid a
hundred bucks for is exposed to all the world to infect, just send bg $15
and in two to three weeks, M$ will send you a CD. Brilliant marketing
scheme, but hardly defensible to the average user.

>They have also made it much easier for regular
>people to apply them by making the update Windows feature. To a certain
>extent they are already doing pretty much all that is reasonably within
>their power.

It is within their power to fix 90% (I made that number up) of the
problems by simply configuring it out of the box to close many of the
holes that are not design flaws, but designs on purpose.

When folks quit using IE, and ditch Outlook, then they go along way
towards solving many problems. A few sites demand IE, so keep it around
(good luck getting rid of it anyway <g>) but use Mozilla/Firefox/Opera
browsers. There are alternate mail programs that will not be subject to
viruses.

>Obviously Microsoft should bear some
>responsibility in these cases since they themselves played a role in
>helping out the degenerate elements of society.

If Yale starts to make door locks that pop open for no good reason and let
crminals into our homes, I am not sure that folks would be willing forgive
and forget just because it was the degenerates that did the actual
stealing. Why are some folks so willing to just let M$ "walk" when they
bear so much responibility for the existence of the potential problems?

>Still, no company or
>decision making process is perfect. The important part is if they learn
>from past mistakes and change their policies for the future. I don't
>know if they have or not.

Even GM and Ford don't take 10 years to get things straightened out when
there are major issues. What is M$'s excuse for not caring to solve the
basic problems inherent in every M$ OS since the internet came to the
forefront? Their product is flawed in design, right out of the chute. No
one cares, everyone just makes excuses for them.

Some people keep trying to convince the masses that M$ loves them, and is
not to blame when hackers send out viruses.

I know, I have a real problem with M$, but I have a bigger problem with
people who want to defend them by blaming hackers for everything, when
anyone with a brain and desire can configure their system to eliminate
nearly all virus and spyware. If they can do it, why can't microsoft make
it so right out of the box?

I think we learned all we needed to know about Gates and his company from
the facts that came out in the trial, and from the way they are carrying
on in court with the EU.

JB


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