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Monad Shell Removed From Vista

hggs writes "According to Stephen Toulouse at Microsoft, because of the possible virus threat that targets Monad the shell will not be included in Windows Vista. CNet is reporting that, even though Monad is not to be included on Vista, it will be included on a major server operating system for servers from Microsoft. Codenamed Longhorn server, that edition is due out by 2007." Update: 08/06 04:45 GMT by Z : As Mr. Toulouse states here, the submission here adds one and one and gets three. Monad hasn't been in Vista for about two months. The CNet article is clarifying a previous report stating that Monad could potentially be the first source of viruses in an OS which incorporated it. The interesting news about Monad in the server edition was obscured by the factually incorrect submission, which at first blush seemed to make sense. Mea Culpa.

18 of 330 comments (clear)

  1. Poster Wrong. by AdroitOneX · · Score: 5, Informative

    I RTFA and it does not even imply that MONAD will not be included in Windows Vista because of the virus threat. In fact, MS announced almost two months ago that Mondad will not be included in Windows Vista (then Longhorn).

  2. Idea by sneakers563 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You could build a pretty good operating system from all the stuff that's been pulled out out Vista. Maybe Microsoft could take all that extra stuff and come out with a "Platinum" version of Vista; call it "Longhorn" or something.

    1. Re:Idea by mrchaotica · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, I think they'll call it "Blackcomb" and release it sometime between 2013 and 2020.

      It'd be funny, if only I were joking.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  3. We get the point... by ItsJustLilOldMe · · Score: 5, Funny
    "it will be included on a major server operating system for servers

    Welcome to the department of redundancy department...

  4. Dear God MORON... by Manip · · Score: 4, Informative

    Mohad was NOT in Vista before all this sudo-virus junk appeared. It was taken out MONTHS ago! Microsoft have been saying for MONTHS that it will not appear in Vista but WILL appear in Longhorn Server.

    Now some attention seekers claim they created a virus, which is no more powerful than anything you could currently do in VBScript and gets headlines. Now you link to a blog that says "There is no virus threat [TRUE!] and Mohad will not be in Vista [TRUE]" and conclude that A == B?! Dear god you people!

  5. Re:Slide more and more... by sH4RD · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You do realize that many of the features in Longhorn/Vista (most importantly WinFS) were due for Windows NT 3.x? The creators of NT were way before their time, but typical Microsoft screwed everything up. If Windows NT 3.x had the features originally planned, I don't think Windows would nearly suck as much as it does now. Instead they have spent 10 years trying to add the features that were supposed to be there in the first place. Imagine where we could be instead. A world where Microsoft might actually not suck. But instead here we are, wishing Longhorn/Vista had all those nice features that would make our experience with Windows (face it, you can't escape from it all the time) a little nicer. Those "MEGA-AWESOME MUST BUY features" have been delayed so long that I'm sure Microsoft doesn't mind leaving them out for later.

    --
    WASTE - The Secure P2P
  6. Just what we needed by thirty2bit · · Score: 5, Funny

    Quick - somebody find vulnerabilities in the WPA and DRM modules. Bonus if you find buffer overflows in the "make Windows unstable" DLLs.

  7. The summary couldn't have been more inaccurate! by xiphoris · · Score: 5, Informative

    A clue should've been the title of the article linked to: "A virus for Windows Vista? Wrong."

    From TFA:
    "First of all, in examining the details of the reports, there is no Windows Vista virus described in them. ...The viruses do not attempt to exploit a software vulnerability and do not encompass a new method of attack."

    If one had read either of the two articles linked, one would realize that the so-called "viruses" are nothing more than malicious scripts. No software hole is exploited; the viruses are no more dangerous than any arbitrary piece of code running on your system.

    They are not viruses; they only have the privileges that a user gives them. They're the same as any other executable file.

    If a stranger sends you an executable, be it a script or a compiled program, and you run it, you're already in trouble. These scripts are nothing special.

    Did the article author even read what he was submitting? The author states, "because of the possible virus threat that targets Monad the shell will not be included in Windows Vista", which could not be more deliberately misleading, and is contracted by both articles he links to!

  8. Re:So what they are saying is... by Metasquares · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Will this do?

  9. An announcement from Fedora by ChiralSoftware · · Score: 4, Funny
    "/bin/sh has been associated with security problems in the Unix world since the early 70s. Most Unix/Linux security situations arise when an unauthorized user gets access to the /bin/sh process. Fedora Core 5, due out in October, will not include this dangerous executable. Instead users will control the system through the advanced Gnome windowing system and will be able to develop object-oriented network-transparent applications in the MONO framework."

    ----------
    mobile search

  10. 10 great windows vista features by gullevek · · Score: 4, Funny

    walked around the park.
    One was WinFS and fell into a hole.

    9 little windows Vista features walked around the park. The new shell slipped and fell into the pool and drowned.

    8 little windows vista features walked around the park. DRM bully came and whacked them all dead.

    No new Windows Vista features were left alive, so Microsoft put some new colors in and everybody bought it.

    --
    "Freiheit ist immer auch die Freiheit des Andersdenkenden" - Rosa Luxemburg, 1871 - 1919
  11. Re:FP by Nuclear+Elephant · · Score: 5, Funny

    So that leaves Vista with the following features I guess:

    - Slick 'Vista' wallpaper
    - DRM to protect the wallpaper

    Rock on!

  12. If only it was VMS... by mechsoph · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Considering that NT is, theoretically the successor to VMS, it sure is lame.

    Where's our versioning file system? Where's our ironclad clustering? (Someone who's a real VMS geek can probably offer more examples)

    Micrsoft hires Dave Cutler, who wrote VMS, and a bunch of the DEC engineers, has them write a brand spankin' new OS to Rule Them All, and they try to sell some retarded crapheap that doesn't have some of the best features of the '80's.

    Of course, the perfectly sensible reason they're selling a crapheap is that performance mattered more than a secure microkernel architecture (which NT, at one point, supposedly was), and backwards compatability with win32 is the only thing keeping people running to back to MS like a crackhead to his dealer.

    Give me my good 'ol 70's Unix. The '80's died, and the 90's just won't.

  13. BOGUS STORY SUBMISSION by bonch · · Score: 5, Informative
    Here, read the linked article yourself. The submission says the reason for Monad's removal is the previous Slashdot story about the proof-of-concept "virus." But the article has no mention of that and merely points out that Monad won't be in Vista, which we knew months ago. The submitter made the connection up:


    A virus for Windows Vista? Wrong.

    Hi everyone, Stephen Toulouse here. There's been some commentary the past couple of days regarding a potential Windows Vista virus and we wanted to weigh in with some details. First of all, in examining the details of the reports, there is no Windows Vista virus described in them. Instead, the reports are regarding potential proof of concept viruses in the form of malicious scripts that are developed to affect a new interactive shell codenamed "Monad", which is currently in early phase of beta testing.

    Now to be clear, these reports pose no risk for Microsoft customers. The viruses do not attempt to exploit a software vulnerability and do not encompass a new method of attack. Furthermore, "Monad" is not widely available for general use. It's a beta, and we do not recommend or support the use of beta software in a production environment. Microsoft continues to analyze the feedback from testers as Monad continues to be developed.

    But most important, "Monad" is not included in the beta release of Windows Vista or in Windows Server 2003 R2.

    Monad will not be included in the final version of Windows Vista and there is no relation between Monad and Windows Vista Beta 1. Monad is being considered for the Windows Operating System platform for the next three to five years. So these potential viruses do not affect Windows Vista or any other version of Windows if "Monad" has not been installed on the system.

    It's hard to predict what type of malicious software criminals might develop to attack future versions of operating systems. But rest assured we're on the case! The MSRC will be here to investigate and provide the guidance to help protect customers no matter what attacks may impact customers.
  14. Wow is the headline WRONG! by bjk4 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I can't believe the slashdot editors let this submission go through. To quote the author:
    "First of all, in examining the details of the reports, there is no Windows Vista virus described in them."
    "The viruses do not attempt to exploit a software vulnerability and do not encompass a new method of attack."

    "...there is no relation between Monad and Windows Vista Beta 1."
    The author is pretty clear that the reported virii had ZERO effect on the choice to include monad or not.

    Yet somehow the submitter was able to conclude "...because of the possible virus threat that targets Monad the shell will not be included in Windows Vista.". Will wonders ever cease to exist!
  15. MOD PARENT UP by Uber+Banker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The article was factually incorrect, even though it linked to correct articles, cited in the parent post. This 'story' seems no more than a waste of everyone's time, yet the submitter that pointed this out is (presently) modded down to -1.

    Read up: MS isn't 100% bad. They have some good stuff and good policies sometimes. Don't complain about them point blank to improve your ego, you'll be the kid that called wolf too many times.

  16. Re:Oh hush up! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wish you and your rational-thinking ilk would get the hell off slashdot. You're ruining all our M$ bashing and hot-buttoned emotionalism!

    I think I speak for the majority of slashdot when I say we are here to be told what to think, not to think for ourselves.

  17. Re:Slide more and more... by sharkey · · Score: 5, Funny
    A world where Microsoft might actually not suck.

    Ahhh, a world where Microsoft makes vacuum cleaners.

    --

    --
    "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.