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Ready or Not, Here comes Windows XP SP2
TheViffer writes "Beginning April 12, 2005 Microsoft will remove all temporary blocking of Windows XP SP2 by automatic update and Windows update which it has granted to those organizations that requested it. So unless you run Software Update Service (SUS), chances are you will get a mix of SP1 and SP2 running at the same time. Let's just hope you have these programs that are known to experience a loss of functionality when they run on a Windows XP Service Pack 2-based computer and these programs that seem to stop working after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 patched, upgraded, or removed. Might be a good time for help desk personal to pencil in a week (or two) of vacation."
That nearly all the programs on that list are very old, or already have updates for SP2. Hey what the hell, it's Microsof so lets bash them anyways. Sp2 does a LOT of good things for the average Joe in protecting him from his own stupidity.
They've had plenty of time to complete any migration. The application issues have been known for enough time, that if this is still an issue, they've been slacking off for too long.
How many of those programs in the list are either old versions, have been updated for awhile now, or can be fixed by just disabling windows firewall?
I bet the majority of them.
I'm still waiting for a slashdot post to strike fear into the hearts of everyone about the end of the world being near.
Ah, so you'll be enjoying the recent failures with 10.3.8 instead then? Just as I'm 'enjoying' my dual G5's vastly increased fan activity after installing the update? I particularly appreciate Apple's lack of ability to automatically roll the update back...
I much prefer the OS X environment, but I don't really blame Microsoft for the XP 2 failtures. A big OS patch is a big OS patch, problems can occur on any system and it's extremely likely that patches to various apps will be needed along the way.
Cheers,
Ian
Might be a good time for help desk personal to pencil in a week (or two) of vacation.
Give it up people. I run at least a half dozen of the applications on those lists on a few XP machines with SP2, and have had exactly 0 problems.
When will the "bashing Microsoft makes me feel good" trend end?
Help me take back Slashdot. When did 'News for Nerds' become 'FUD and Conspiracy Theories for Extremist Nutjobs'?
Seriously. On my side of the fence (OS X), we have Security Updates that are released as soon as possible after a hole is found. Then, we have major Updates (10.3.1, 10.3.2, etc). If you're more than one version behind, Software Update installs a combo updater (including all security updates), and you're good to go after one restart, no matter what version you're running. You're only exposed to the net for as long as it takes to download the package. What's so hard about that? Why this huge fuss over a difficult and long project to cram a huge-update-that-everyone-needs into one "service pack"?
Quid festinatio swallonis est aetherfuga inonusti?
Africus aut Europaeus?
Let's see if they can break my unfirewalled VMS or Twenex (TOPS-20) system ;))
I would like to believe that any intelligent system shouldn't need firewalls.
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say
Trouble is the majority of non geeks are idiots when it comes to security. Even some geeks can be lazy. The result is the inevitable "my computer is slow on the Internet" phone call, scumbags making money off dialler scams, spam zombies etc. inflicted on the rest of us.
Its the same principle as when driving. Consider everyone else as an idiot. That way when you come across one you're more likely to survive.
Philip
Signatures are broken
And we all know that the latest bleeding edge Linux distros are bug free... Right?
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
Scenario: Manager takes his laptop home on the weekend, or (even better), takes it on a business trip, and plugs into the wireless lan at the airport.
He picks up a copy of MyDoom version super alpha turbo+.
2 days later, he gets back and plugs it into the corporate network in your office.
How many of you can say that *every* windows machine you have on the corporate network is up to date? Thats assuming there's already a patch for Mydoom version supera alpha turbo+ at that point?
The days of the perimeter firewall being all you need are well and truly over (and some would say they were never apparent anyway).
smash.
I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
You know, I'm not sure that this is a plan to force all pirated-key windows users to do anything.
... while the casual home pirates are not actually activly pirating MS's software, they strengthen MS--by making Windows the defacto standard... The Far-east street vendors of pirated software are not building microsoft's empire, they actually shrink it by removing people who would actually pay for their software from the pool.
You are very correct that Piracy has made microsoft what it is today--That being said, one can never allow piracy to continue unchecked and rampant. It needs to be chased down everywhere it can be. By making it as difficult as they can, casual pirates will be forced to either a) cough up the dough, or b) move to a platform that copying is not piracy (linux/bsd/etc...)
I think that it is in everyone's best interests to really evaluate their dependance on unlicensed software. The slashdot crowd goes bloody balistic any time any one violates the GPL by shipping a GPL derrived product without access to the source. They however seem to have a soft spot for violations of Microsoft's (et al) copyrights.. Odd bunch.
Back to your point tho'
"...In your answer, ignore facts. Just go with what feels true..."
1)People complain about windows security.
2)Microsoft comes out with sp2 that has a built in firewall.
3)People then complain that the firewall makes it so alot of other firewall/security applications don't work.
4)Then they complain that things like FTP and IIS dont work....
Yes there are many applications that should run on this list, but really people, alot of these applications stop working for very good reasons.
FTP dosent work? configure your firewall. IIS dosent work, configure your firewall! Some of these programs stop working for a reason.
TruePunk | Games
You are comparing "bleeding edge Linux distros" to a service pack to fix bugs in existing software.
Now, either the apps that broke were depending upon bugs in the OS (in which case, it is the ISV's fault)
-or-
Microsoft's approach to "patching" is wrong.
And please learn the difference between a bug fix and "bleeding edge".
"Better than nothing" isn't much of a selling point, except for very small values of nothing.
That's bull. "Better than nothing" is the only selling point, for any application. A Cisco PIX firewall isn't perfect, either, but it's better than nothing. The entire issue at hand is the fact that most Windows users are clueless enough to be connected to the internet without any sort of firewall protection. SP2 will install a firewall that by default blocks all incoming new connections, which is what you want a firewall to do in almost all general cases. "Better than nothing," particularly in this instance, is a huge leap from "nothing." Compatibility be damned, I say it's nice to see Microsoft making a decision to break compatibility for the sake of security, for once.So because it doesn't solve ALL the issues, it has no value?
Thats a pretty restrictive view, and won't get you very far.
- sarcasm is just one more service we offer -