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Microsoft To Distribute Third-Party Patches

Posted by timothy on from the after-the-after-party dept.

dhiren writes "Secunia on Wednesday announced that their authenticated internal vulnerability scanner, the Corporate Software Inspector (CSI) 4.0, has been integrated with Microsoft Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) and System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). This will hopefully pave the way for other vendors to also make use of Windows' existing patching infrastructure and eliminate the need for the multitude of custom updater applications and services that clutter most systems today."

15 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. Oh just call it by LordKaT · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Oh, just call it a package manager and get over it. Your fancy words don't make it better.

    1. Re:Oh just call it by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 5, Insightful
      No way buddy. It is going to come in so many editions:
      • Absolutely Basic Package Manager
      • Expanded Basic Package Manager
      • Funeral Director Edition Package Manager (third from the bottom of pricelist!)
      • Anything Less Would not work Manager
      • Ultimate Home Edition Package Manager (clueless user Special)
      • Professional Ultimate Package Manager
      • Ultimate Professional Package Manager with Downgrade to Ugrade Option Bundled
      • Super Ultimate Professional with Multimedia Expansion Package Gamer special Package Manager
      • Absolutely Super Ultimate, this time really really Ultimate Gamer Professional Home Maker Special Edition Package Manager
      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    2. Re:Oh just call it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      You really can't call it a package manager because it doesn't do dependency and it doesn't do upgrades. It just does patches - which is why it is not called a package manager.

    3. Re:Oh just call it by dkleinsc · · Score: 3, Funny

      But see, a "package manager" is the result of careful research and experience by a bunch of long-haired university-bound communist hippies, so it could never have any usefulness in the real world. Plus it's not a register-able trademark, so customers might realize that there are other better package managers out there. And once they get hooked on apt-get, they'll turn immediately into a clone of RMS and start helping the FSF.

      --
      I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
    4. Re:Oh just call it by melikamp · · Score: 3, Funny

      FUN FACT:

      Quickly pronouncing ASUTTRRUGPHM SE PM three times in a row is the last trial of Microsoft Professional certification, and the one that counts for 90% of the total score.

    5. Re:Oh just call it by Slashdot+Suxxors · · Score: 3, Funny

      Patchage Manager

    6. Re:Oh just call it by spazdor · · Score: 3, Funny

      That happened to my sister. Apparently she's getting way more dates now. Even with the open-source beard.

      --
      DRM: Terminator crops for your mind!
  2. Misreading by AnonGCB · · Score: 4, Funny

    For a minute I read the headline as "Microsoft to Distribute Eye Patches". With the rate of piracy Microsoft has goin on, I wouldn't be surprised.

    --
    http://CryoLANparty.com/ A lan I'm staff on!
  3. Misleading article by djben · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Correct me if I am wrong, but Secunia is announcing that they are going to piggy-back on an existing WSUS server, and not that WSUS is going to start shipping with and deploying Secunia's updates for everyone who uses WSUS? I'm not sure why this is anything special at all. I help people replace WSUS all the time and they want to use less of it, not more. Perhaps I'm not understanding something here...

  4. Re:About time! by bmo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The Wikpedia says that dpkg came out in 1993.

    So Microsoft is only catching up after 17 years.

    --
    BMO

  5. Compare? by vlm · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't do windows. Mac and Linux only.

    Could someone compare and contrast with apt-get and security.debian.org, which I am very familiar with?

    I'm not trying to ignite a flamewar, I'm just curious about the feature set. What one side would have to add to reach the other side's level, etc.

    --
    "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
    1. Re:Compare? by metrix007 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Because when someone says they "don't do windows" it says a lot about that person.

      Someone has to be amazingly closeminded and fundamentalist, and go out of their to avoid the most prevalent consumer OS for the last 10 years.

      --
      If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
  6. OSS Alternative by bdam · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The current version of WSUS includes an API that allows, among other things, anyone to publish third party updates through the WSUS system. I've been working on a project for a few months that does just that: https://sourceforge.net/projects/localupdatepubl

  7. Re:Wait, what's going on? by Jazz-Masta · · Score: 3, Informative

    WSUS is what server admins use to push patches to machines connected to a particular server.

    Most machines that are part of a domain or network that utilizes WSUS has Windows Update disabled. The server admin goes through the patches and selects the ones he/she wants to push out to each of the computers.

    It's quick and simple...but has nothing to do with the end user.

  8. Re:About time! by Runaway1956 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    200 distros? Really? Confining ourselves to Linux - I think there are a half dozen root distros, with dozens of derivatives from each.

    There are three main package managers, one of which will work with almost any distro you choose.

    I know - half the people in the world can't decide what color socks to wear today, so they only buy black socks, or white socks. Some of the rest of us buy both black and white, and mix and match according to mood. Some daring individuals actually buy COLORFUL socks, and manage to keep up with the pairs.

    The point is, not everyone is retarded.

    --
    "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br