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Microsoft Pressures Testers After Software Leak
narramissic writes "ITworld reports that Microsoft is 'taking tough measures to find out who leaked a Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Windows Home Server to The Hotfix.net blog.' The software preview was posted on the site by a user named 'Richard' soon after it was released to a small group of testers. In an e-mail to MVPs whose names contain 'Richard,' Kevin Beares, the Windows Home Server community lead at Microsoft, wrote: 'For right now, you have no access to the beta until I can find the Richard who posted the WHS (Windows Home Server) CTP on this site.... I will work with the Connect Admin team to determine which one of you is the real culprit of this leak.'"
If this was Apple we would get many posts defending their right and need to do this. Since it is MS we won't. -Larry
The leaker was arrogant/foolish enough to use his real name.
:)
Probably, at least. Granted, you'd think he was just being a Richard and it needn't have anything to do with his name, but think about--someone leaked MS's follow-up email to people named Richard. Might it have been the Richard we're looking for?
Sheesh,
this is about as well-thought out as the no-fly list "algorithm". Well, Abdul looks a bit like Andrew so you're a suspect, eh?
If they didn't watermark, or put some other individual identifying marks in each of the CTPs handed out, then they have no clue who leaked it, and punishing the innocent is not going to improve their chances.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
OK, get me if I am wrong here but the testers were working for free, correct. If MS (or any other company for that matter, even Apple), does not want to pay for work, then they take their chances. If they want testers that will follow their rules, they should pay the testers then. Very simple concept.
I'm sorry this does sound kinda cool for a Windows environment, but in the Linux world, WHS looks a day late and a dollar short.
Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
I hate to break it to you, MS, but the higher-end linksys routers (for about $100) now have a usb port where I can stick a hard drive and share it with all the network even if I'm not real computer literate. Likewise, the airport extreme from apple does the same.
I'm not sure what all your "home server" does, but coming from you it probably uses far more hardware than most people want to buy for the purpose and it probably locks me into using one of your buggy, insecure operating systems to access it. Put another way, you're going to have a tough time convincing people who want to have a hard drive shared on the network (probably 99.99% of all people who would want a "server" in the house) to go with your buggy crap rather than the linksys router.
I might be wrong, and laugh at me in 10 years if I am, but I really think you guys are getting in a huff because someone leaked your latest "Microsoft Bob" to the world.
By the way, the people who downloaded it probably didn't do so to use it; it was probably most hackers getting their paws on it to figure out how to break into it.
Do you have ESP?
/^richard$/i and undef $testers{$_} for %testers;
1) Single instance store automatic differential backups. none of this shitty "dd" stuff; this compares each 4 kb block with a database on the server and only uploads ones that have a different hash. Very efficient and very nice.
Sort of like rsync, bacula, amanda?
2) Automatic warnings if any Windows machine on your network has AV or AntiSpyware turned off.
With *nix, we have essential services started automatically at boot time. I'd be interested to know if it checks for Microsoft AV and antispyware software only, or any companies. If MS only, possible antitrust violation here.
3) Automatic warnings if any of your machines has not backed up in the last several days. (and the software will wake machines from sleep mode to do the backup and then have them go back to sleep).
Easily set up on Linux, I presume *BSD also.
4) Ability to serve as a remote control gateway to your computers (where you go to the website of the server and can initiate secured remote desktop sessions to your other machines from there with only 2 ports forwarded to the server and none to any other machines.
Remember the GP's request? "Please tell us what features Microsoft Home Server has that are not available for free and already in widespread use on the net under Linux." Why would you even bring up remote desktop sessions?
But then again, I have actually tried the beta instead of just making shit up about it.
Yes, but you didn't mention any useful features not available in linux/*BSD for free. 1,3 and 4 are available and included in mainstream linux disto's (again, I presume *BSD also, but easily obtainable if not). Without further info, 2 seems possibly aimed at increasing Microsoft marketshare of security products, despite (so I hear) being among the worst available, and even if it isn't, it doesn't seem very useful. Set up your AV etc to run as desired.
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For right now, you have no access to the beta until I can find the Richard who posted the WHS (Windows Home Server) CTP on this site.... I will work with the Connect Admin team to determine which one of you is the real culprit of this leak.'
It's great to know that a corporation always has plenty of funds for a witch-hunt even if product security is sacrificed due to "budget constraints"...
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Unless this person was exceptionally stupid and brags about it, they are home free. Their ISP will *not* release the information.
Of course, this does bring out that simply having someone sign an NDA in today's climate means nothing. If you release a product to beta testers, they are going to feel free to distribute it to potential competitors worldwide without any fear of retribution. Why? Because it can be done and it isn't going to be traceable.
I suppose you could watermark each copy that is distributed. It would be a hassle to do and still probably not really mean all that much. Yes, you might then be able to visit some kind of retribution on the person that did it. Do you really think they are going to care? I think most people these days would regard having letters sent to their employer from Microsoft as sort of a merit badge of achievement, even if it got them fired.
Any sort of anonyminity will result in this kind of behavior. Most people - not everyone, but most - will do things they would never consider doing if they believe their actions cannot be traced back to them. Would you rob a bank or steal someone's wallet? Most people would not. Would you pick up a wallet in an alley that was clearly abandoned and take whatever was inside? Most people would if they were sure nobody would see them. Nobody sees you on the Internet, and the ISPs believe they have an interest in keeping users isolated from consequences of their actions.
WIM is a mashup of existing technologies reformulated in to a proprietary format, nothing else. Cron and tar is what I called a hack, I use it for the most important stuff like /home and /etc. I don't need some fancy image space saver because there is never duplicate files in my backups each only backs up what was modified since last week, really simple actually. Just three backups of the stuff most likely to break for the past three weeks.
If they have 3rd party software that works fine too. Mine has McAfee (came with it) and that AV and Anti Spy works fine with it. So do all the others.Fair enough, but what if I have systems that don't run AV or antispyware, what if I also have a Mac on the network or a Debian box? Sorry, but I can ask questions about this all day.
What if they don't run because the machine has a dependency issue or some other software broke the backup?All the more reason to use cron and tar or stay in the official repository of your favorite distribution. For home users I suspect the most likely reason for missing a backup will be that the computer wasn't on to begin with. Which will be really annoying when every time they start their computer they get a warning and a slowed network while the backup system commences or even just pokes it's nose around their computer.
No, but it is very nice and it is a lot easier to setup for a real home user than most anything else.Back to the point, *nix has offered all of this and more for YEARS. The usability aspect can be patched together over Google's summer of code by some moderately intelligent CS sophomore. I'm happy Windows users will be able to poke their noses out of the cave a little bit, but don't go on acting like Microsoft has something *nix doesn't, cause *nix has had it for years and Microsoft's implementation is barely in beta. Microsoft is playing catch up again and calling it innovation, nothing to see here.
Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
Well, what can we say?
The typical Microsoft=Evil bash aside, their response was rather understandable and logical. They have beta-software, and they have low number of people who a previewing/testing that software. That software ends up leaked on the internet. Thus the only logical conclusion is that (at least) one of those people is responsible for the leak.
Assuming that leaks is not what you want and that somebody who leaked software before, will do so again, it is best to freeze the entire process until the one(s) responsible has been found. Also assuming that they accepted a NDA (the usual stuff forfeiting your propery, soul, and firstborn) this one guy or gal will not be in a happy place.
So, all in all, its nothing extraordinary.
+++ MELON MELON MELON +++ Out of Cheese Error +++ redo from start +++
We had a similar problem at Infocom with some reviewers. The next game we sent out had a room with with a book shelf. One of the books had an inscription unique to each person receiving a review copy. It was quite easy at that point to catch the leaker.