Slashdot Mirror

"The problem with windows security is primarily one of legacy support."

Noncense, backward compatibility should not break security. Windows was sold as suitable for secure use in a networked environment. It was even given C2 security certification. The problem is the WinNT memory management unit running under the x86 processor. Something that was first tackled under Linux with Exec Shield. The Windows version called NX can be bypassed as otherwise JIT bytecode won't work.

"inter-processes communication was flawed lacking any authentication method, kernel / userland seperation was virtually nonexistant,"

Wait a minute WinNT was touted as being more secure because of it's use of operating modes. Ring 0 had full access while user apps were restricted to Ring 3, the highest restriction. At least that was the theory.

"these issues persisted right up till XP when microsoft started to take security seriously with SP2."

Er, They still persist. See here, much of this code is included in Windows Server 2003 and will be included in Longhorn

"Microsoft just like the rest of us is new to the whole OS design thing."

When Microsoft hired on the Digital VAX/VMS team they had an oppurtunity to design a secure OS. Most of the defects in the OS can be traced to managment decisions to favor features over security. Embedding Internet Explorer in the OS was one such decision.

"What needs to be done is .. implement a version of windows that incorporates everything we've learned over the last 20 years or so"

If by "We" you mean Microsoft, "We" haven't learned anything since 1988, 18 years ago. Why wait, why not upgrade to SuSE, all the eye candy of Vista without the security vulnerabilities.

I see a lot of this kind of revisionist history on the Internet and in the media. Is there a whole department that does nothing all day but pollute the athmosphere with self serving distortions such as this. How anyone say this with a straight face is beyond me.

'the security kernel of the Windows NT server software was written before the Internet,
and the Windows Server 2003 software was written
before buffer overflows became a frequent target of recent attacks'

David Aucsmith, Security Architect, Microsoft.

Yup, Everybody who is a guy genuinely interested in computers here will either run Windows 'cuz he loves Games or immerse himself in Linux. There are few and far between who work in other myriad OSs like Apple ( Yes, it is used RRRRRRARELY), *BSD. I would in general support your statement about non-IIT grads but there are a few exceptions to the rule like BITS-Pilani http://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/, NSIThttp://www.nsit.ac.in/, IIIT-Hyderabad http://www.iiit.net/ and a few others also.

well in India too the situation is roughly the same.The local movie industry called Bollywood is crying hoarse about how piracy is affecting their revenues and the sad part is that only 10% of the country has computer access. Morover the speed of the internet is still in the low 28-56 kbps range...broadband is just catching on. And yet the movie guys say they are losing money due to illegal downloads! Bollywood makes the most films in the world even more than hollywood but most of them sink without a trace... its for the entire industry to think what is wrong with itself! my home

There has been a lot of confusion lately, so let me try and clear some up
President Kalam spoke at theInternational Institute of Information Technology, Pune, known as isquareit

This has nothing to do with International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad , or with Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore. Dunno they same to love the IIT acronym, wonder why? :-)

Here's a possible answer.

Incidentally, the Microsoft India Development Center is located very close to the other International Institute of Information Technology campus in Hyderabad (Dr Kalam gave the speech in I-squared-IT, Pune).

In a way I guess, it wasn't surprising that Dr Kalam delivered a pro-OSS/Software Libre speech at an IIIT; been to the Hyderabad campus last year, and honestly, it was a weird feeling looking at a lab full of people using Emacs in Devanagri script. (They were using/developing Anusaraka)

Yes, that's right trolls, they've successfully resolved two computer-related jehads out there. :-)

Here's a possible answer.

Incidentally, the Microsoft India Development Center is located very close to the other International Institute of Information Technology campus in Hyderabad (Dr Kalam gave the speech in I-squared-IT, Pune).

In a way I guess, it wasn't surprising that Dr Kalam delivered a pro-OSS/Software Libre speech at an IIIT; been to the Hyderabad campus last year, and honestly, it was a weird feeling looking at a lab full of people using Emacs in Devanagri script. (They were using/developing Anusaraka)

Yes, that's right trolls, they've successfully resolved two computer-related jehads out there. :-)

Its IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) that is equivalent of MIT, notIIIT which is International Institute of Infomation Technology formally know as Indian Institute of Information Technology. IIIT is a new Institution started in 1998, that still has a long way to go get any recognition and standard of IIT (The MIT equivalent). Check this article Bill Gates inaugurated IIT meetIIT