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Microsoft Installs New Software Without Permission
Futurepower(R) writes "Even though I have Automatic Updates turned off, on August 28, 2007, between 3:49 and 3:51 AM PDT, Microsoft installed new files on my Windows XP computer." Nine files are updated on Vista and on XP SP1, a different set of on each, relating to Windows Update itself. Microsoft-watch.com's Joe Wilcox and ZDnet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes confirm the stealth update.
Ubuntu installs the package "popularity-contest" by default, which reports every package you're using and how often. That's large scale stealth spying, but it's not proprietary so it should be ok...
Could you elaborate how the updates to the Windows Update subsystem have the capability of breaking Killer App A? I'm curious to know.
As evil as this is, don't think that MS doesn't know anything about backward compatibility. They already bend over backwards to ensure older programs run, often going to the level of fixing memory management issues via shims. Why would they want to create more work for themselves? Oh, right, because they are innately evil and out to screw everyone. I forgot what site I'm on.
Yeah, this is why I run Linux 2.2 and make sure Firefox has auto-update disabled; if they can convince me to update the software on my computer, or (heaven forbid) do it automatically, next thing they'll be brainwashing me and giving me anal probes.
By the way this update is probably Microsoft doing something incredibly evil, like fixing bugs or updating a protocol or something.
Tomorrows news: Security hole found in Windows, but Microsoft are refusing to provide a way to close the security hole without installing unwanted and potentially devastating new code.
// MD_Update(&m,buf,j);