UCSB Bans Windows NT/2000 in the Dorms

nick58b writes "The people in charge of the networks for all of the on-campus dorms at UCSB banned the use of Windows NT and 2000 on their networks citing security and network problems associated with them. While there are problems with NT/2000, Windows 98 and ME computers are still permitted. Students using these are "recommended" to upgrade to XP Home Edition. In other news, sales of Windows XP are way up at the campus bookstore."

Comments

With a little help from Microsoft sales?

[Futurepower(R)]

Sounds like a Microsoft sales person is influencing the University. Here are some reasons why Windows XP is less than perfect: Windows XP Shows the Direction Microsoft is Going.

What is interesting, and unfortunate, is that Windows XP's faults are mostly avoidable. It seems that the problems are sociological, rather than technical. Microsoft seems to have become self-destructive, like Tyco and Enron. (Okay, even more self-destructive.)

By far the best marketing for Linux and BSD is Microsoft. It doesn't have to be that way. The cost to a corporation for someone working at a desk with a computer is so high that the cost of Windows is not a deciding factor. Linux is beginning to win, not because of the price, but because people don't like to be abused, and don't like the ridiculous security risks: (from the article)

"... as of September 9, 2002, there are 19 security vulnerabilities in Microsoft Internet Explorer [pivx.com]. (On August 8, 2002, there were 22, so some progress is being made.) This is a terrible record for a company that has $40 billion in the bank. Obviously, with that kind of money, Microsoft could fix the bugs if it wanted to fix them."