Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

TCP/MS, We'll Cure What Ails You

Posted by michael on from the bait-and-switch dept.

Cringely can string some words together from time to time, and this week's installment is a pretty good one. He's been reading a little too much Gibson (raw sockets have nothing to do with the spread of MSTD [?] 's), but overall, he's probably right. When the time is ripe, I think we'll see a move exactly like this.

3 of 478 comments (clear)

  1. The Solution Is Clear (well, maybe) by namespan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Someone needs to write some viruses that do the following things:

    1) educates -- infects your computer and gives you
    a multimedia presentation on flaws within "Hi! I'm Victor Virus!
    I'm an Outlook Virus. How did I get in your machine?"

    2) secures -- "Would you like me to install a Zone Management
    package?"

    3) explains alternatives -- "Did you know there are other alternatives
    to Microsoft?"

    4) Highlights Microsoft abuses...

    --
    Libertarianism is rich wolves and poor sheep playing gambler's ruin for dinner.
  2. How DID they do that? by Compulawyer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Cringely makes a very astute observation: How did MS manage to avoid having all those VBS viruses tagged as MS Windows viruses or MS Outlook viruses instead of "email" viruses?

    --

    Laws affecting technology will always be bad until enough techies become lawyers.

  3. Hi, I've lived under a rock for a while by Dancin_Santa · · Score: 5, Interesting

    We could implement a secure user identity system precisely like telephone Caller ID. It would be essentially an Internet ID. All Internet transactions could be based on it. Anyone who sends me e-mail can be identified. Anything I send can be traced to me. People wouldn't be forced to participate, but if they remain anonymous, I might choose to block them. I certainly wouldn't accept file attachments from them.

    You can already do this. You can trace email. You can block email from those you don't know. And this system won't work to block email worms because usually they come from people who you know.

    Get with it, man!

    Dancin Santa