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Lawsuit Against Microsoft Over Insecure Software
Cinematique writes "Reuters reports that a California-based lawsuit alleges the Redmond software giant produces software with little concern for security and that their products are highly susceptible to, "massive, cascading failures." Should Microsoft's software be treated any differently than, say, automobiles?"
It specifically says in M$'s TOS that the software is not to be used for any life-critical applications. In fact, QNX is the only compnay that will license software for life critical stuff. Microsoft also has a non-responsability clause in their TOS. This is going to be a long, drawn out fight, like the one against tobacco companies.
Statistically, one could probably claim that Microsoft products have killed people in an indirect manner.
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Gabe held a number of positions in the Systems, Applications, and Advanced Technology divisions during his 13 years at Microsoft. His responsibilities included running program management for the first two releases of Windows, starting the company's multimedia division, and, most recently, leading the company's efforts on the Information Highway PC. His most significant contribution to Half-Life was his statement "C'mon, people, you can't show the player a really big bomb and not let them blow it up."
I wonder if he signed a contract that prevents him from joining a lawsuit against MS since it was their software that allowed his next big project to go buh-bye.
follow the link and read the story, the case is built "on the claim that its market-dominant software is vulnerable to viruses". It does not say that the case "alleges the Redmond software giant produces software with little concern for security" as the /. article suggests.
I'm not aware of an OS that isn't vulnerable to viruses. Precedent is a dangerous thing.
"Many of the arguments in the lawsuit and some of its language echoed a report issued by computer security experts in late September, which warned that the ubiquitous reach of Microsoft's software on desktops worldwide had made computer networks a national security risk."
@Stake, are you listening?
He's probably referring to one of these, some of which can reportedly run arbitrary code.
I like my women like my coffee... pale and bitter.
I'll admit that I am a Microsoft hater. However, unlike most slashdotters who have the "open source good, microsoft bad" slogan as their religion, I am not ignorant (or at least try not to be, heh).
So here's my opinion on this lawsuit. Microsoft creates bad software. It has done a severe amount of harm to the world. However, it only does that harm because people allow it to. Most people know how insecure Windows is, but they insist on using it anyway. I have no sympathy for them when they whine "wheh wheh wheh, i hate viruses".
However, they have committed no crimes. As much as I hate the company, they have all the right in the world to create shitty software. They only continue to do it, because there is demand for it. Supply-and-demand is no crime. As much as I'd love to see Microsoft get sued into the next millenium, let's have it be for an actual crime?
*cough* anti-trust *cough* (Wait, they were sued into the next millenium for anti-trust, literally!)
Hypocrisy is the 8th deadly sin.