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Microsoft to Focus on Security

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the eye-of-sauron dept.

Anonymous Minion writes: "The Associated Press is reporting that Bill Gates announced to employees Wednesday a major strategy shift across all its products to emphasize security and privacy over new capabilities. In e-mail to employees, Gates referred to the new philosophy as "Trustworthy Computing" and called it the "highest priority". Gates said the new emphasis was "more important than any other part of our work."" People criticized Microsoft for treating security breaches as a public relations problem, so Bill Gates sent this email out to the Associated Press to prove them wrong. (rimshot!) Meanwhile, Richard Smith notes that the Globally Unique Identifier in every installation of Windows Media Player allows websites to universally track users, and Microsoft does not consider it a security problem.

8 of 720 comments (clear)

  1. MS security by dunedan · · Score: 0, Redundant

    sure no problem, now that we've got about 100x10^6 lines of code lets go through and ask ourselves which are not safe in combination =>

  2. Oh no! by avalys · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Just think of the implications!! Microsoft has already been "focusing" on performance, stability and security for many years - and look at the results! Such delightful products such as Windows 95, 98, ME, and NT.

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    This space intentionally left blank.
  3. Re:timing? by xinit · · Score: 0, Redundant
    Closing the barn door after the horse has gotten out.

    Trying to add major baseline features to code in the wild... that'd be a potentially CLM for your average software engineer, wouldn't it?

    On another tangent, I'm highly amused by the bit about how they're also focusing on privacy. Yup, .NET will help MS keep your data secure.

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    --- http://foo.ca
  4. Re:So microsoft will focus on security? by two_socks · · Score: 1, Redundant

    I don't see anything that indicates M$ is going to do anything more to protect privacy or security. Those seem to be just the new marketing buzzwords.

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    I can't help it - I'm a 19D.
  5. No intelligent life. by cornflux · · Score: 1, Redundant

    So far, even though there are plenty 5-pointers, I've yet to see one shining, intelligent, "wow, I never thought of it that way" comment about this subject -- including mine.

    Does anyone else get sick of the same old mantra?

    I'm thinking about watching TV, now... how bizzare.

    Whoa, what the hell did I eat today? Oh, well.

  6. Re:That GUID on WMP? Yeah . . . by Glytch · · Score: 1, Redundant

    End users are not the customers. PC manufacturers and server vendors are the customers.

  7. Bullshit bullshit bullshit by freeweed · · Score: 2, Redundant
    `Users should be in control of how their data is used,'' Gates wrote. ``It should be easy for users to specify appropriate use of their information including controlling the use of e-mail they send.''

    This is precisely what led to Outlook Express being such a useless piece of *&*#& to use: allowing the SENDER to specify how email is used. Sorry Bill, but allow the RECEIVER to control this. Spam, 4MB attachments, and OE viruses/trojans/worms are all a result of the sender being in control.

    Just write me a damn email client that lets ME choose what to receive, and how to display it. Wow, amazingly 99% of the problems with OE disappear!

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    Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
  8. Right! by CaptainZapp · · Score: 0, Redundant

    And the earth is flat, pigs can fly and nuclear power is safe.

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    ich bin der musikant

    mit taschenrechner in der hand

    kraftwerk