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Windows ATMs by 2005
An anonymous reader writes "O'Reilly Developer News is running a brief on how the banking industry will be running a stripped down version of windows on 65% of its ATM machines by 2005. On a morning when I'm receiving the latest windows virus in my inbox every five minutes I feel very comfortable with this."
I know you are trying to be funny, but if you look at windows security now verses 5 years ago you will find that its drastically improved.
Windows ATM will most likley be based on Windows XP/Embedded, which Microsoft are selling for around $3 a processor. Linux would probably cost much more than that because the bank would need to customize it for their needs and also need to pay experts to keep them running.
Windows ATM on the other hand needs no kernal patches ever time a problem is found you can just download a hotfix from their site, this requires no experts and lowers the TCO. This might also be scriptable with WSH (windows scripting host). Microsoft are not stupid if they are making a windows version for ATMs they will *Make sure* it is 100% secure.
Obvously their reputation would be at steak.
There is no god
...why don't they just give each of their customers a shoebox full of $20s and a CD-ROM with an "ATM" app on it. Then, when the customer wanted cash, he could run the ATM app and then take some $20s out of the shoebox. I know I would much prefer using the ATM in the comfort of my home rather than standing in the rain and wind in front of an ATM downtown.