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Fed-Up Hospitals Defy Windows Patching Rules

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the er dept.

bingbong writes "According to Network World: 'Amid growing worries that Windows-based medical systems will endanger patients if Microsoft-issued security patches are not applied, hospitals are rebelling against restrictions from device manufacturers that have delayed or prevented such updates. Device makers such as GE Medical Systems, Philips Medical Systems and Agfa say it typically takes months to test Microsoft patches because they could break the medical systems to which they're applied. In some instances, vendors won't authorize patch updates at all.' This is the typical patch vs. crash problem. Unfortunately, the stakes here could be human lives."

2 of 705 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Stop playing solitaire on my dialysis machine by jargoone · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Please refer to the section of the license that says Microsoft can access the system and its data.

    Insightful? Full of shit is more like it. IMHO.

  2. It's life-threatening to be using Windows, PERIOD. by Theovon · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Look, when it comes to regular stuff like POS terminals and mall kiosks, Windows is just fine. Even medical imaging systems. Any time you can reboot the damn thing when it screws up, no problem. I mean, it's probably less cost-effective than Windows in volume, but whatever.

    But when lives are on the line, it's just STUPID to be running Windows. Air Traffic Control, computers that are used during surgery, etc. Anyone using Windows should just be SHOT. How would you like it for Windows to crash while you're in the middle of a LASIK procedure or a tripple bypass or while you're trying to land at an airport?

    While Windows has gotten ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE more stable since the days of reboot-every-day-win98, Windows XP is still an unstable beast. While Linux web servers have uptimes of months, Windows Server 2003 web servers still have daily automatic reboots! You just can't rely on Windows to be robust over long periods of time. The whole virus situation just makes it 100 times worse. So, really, it's just stupid to be using Windows when someone can be injured or killed.

    Sorry for the flamebait, but I don't trust my life in Bill Gates' hands. Sorry.