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.'"

Comments

Shades of...

[Dogtanian]

...the whole class being kept behind at school until they found the culprit.

Why Richard?

[apathy maybe]

And I wonder why Kevin Beares thinks it was a Richard who leaked this. If I was doing such a thing, especially when there are only a small group of testers, I would use a pseudonym. Richard is as good a one as any other.

Also, I wonder how he thinks he can work it out? Contacting the ISPs perhaps? (From the article it seems as if the webmaster for the site where the leak was posted will help.) I'm sure all the testers will deny being "Richard" of leaking fame.

This whole thing seems like a big beat up.

Inside job?

[Eudial]

Did they ever stop to consider the fact that besides these testers, undoubtedly lots of people on the inside will have had access to the leaked version?

Re:WHS

[mikelieman]

"Intended for users who have never seen or touched a server OS."

Yeah, that's the supposed Idea. I remember when they pitched that line for NT, too.

"Redundant storage and hot pluggable drives for those for whom RAID is an insect spray can."

If you don't know what RAID is, why would you bother specing a home-pc with hot swappable drives?

"To add storage just slip in another drive and you are good to go."

Yeah, assuming you got a server chassis with hot swappable drives. Which, by definition, the end-user this is targeted at doesn't.

"Automated backups for every system on the net. Recover older versions of files. Single instance storage"

Yeah, that's a good pitch, too. So far? Vapor-ware!

"Remote access and administration. Remote control over the web --- again, intended for users who have no experience in any of this."

Oh, there's a security hole just waiting for a portscan to come along!

This is aimed at Fanbois who just don't have the brains to make the leap to Ubuntu or Fedora.

IOW, A cute toy.