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Microsoft Kills Off Security Bulletins (computerworld.com)
Microsoft has officially retired the security bulletins this week, which were issued to detail "each month's slate of vulnerabilities and accompanying patches for customers -- especially administrators responsible for companies' IT operations," writes Gregg Keizer via Computerworld. "The move to a bulletin-less Patch Tuesday brought an end to months of Microsoft talk about killing the bulletins that included an aborted attempt to toss them." From the report: Microsoft announced the demise of bulletins in November, saying then that the last would be posted with January's Patch Tuesday, and that the new process would debut Feb. 14. A searchable database of support documents would replace the bulletins. Accessed through the "Security Updates Guide" (SUG) portal, the database's content can be sorted and filtered by the affected software, the patch's release date, its CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) identifier, and the numerical label of the KB, or "knowledge base" support document. SUG's forerunners were the web-based bulletins that have been part of Microsoft's patch disclosure policies since at least 1998. Microsoft did such a good job turning out those bulletins that they were considered the aspirational benchmark for all software vendors.In February Microsoft canceled that month's Patch Tuesday just hours before the security updates were to reach customers, making the bulletins' planned demise moot. Microsoft kept the bulletins the following month as well, saying it wanted to give users more time to prepare for the change to SUG. Finally, when Microsoft yesterday shipped cumulative security updates for Windows, Internet Explorer, Office and other products, it omitted the usual bulletins.
They're not really gone, they've just moved them into a searchable "security guidance" website. You can still find them and read through all the technical details.
Get some new lawyers. There's no reason your code developed or compiled with GPL tools is required to also be licensed under the GPL according to the GNU GPL FAQ
"Can I use GPL-covered editors such as GNU Emacs to develop nonfree programs? Can I use GPL-covered tools such as GCC to compile them?
Yes, because the copyright on the editors and tools does not cover the code you write. Using them does not place any restrictions, legally, on the license you use for your code."
Microsoft = Job Security
same thing with all the patch descriptions available on the windows update client. absolutely no details. even kb articles are often lacking.
then came "rollups" that don't say a damn thing about themselves or their contents, either, unless you go look for the info
and now we have monthly 'catch all' updates, again NO FUCKING INFO AVAILABLE.. and more often than not, even when you go looking for the details, still nothing.
combine that with now obscuring security announcements
and the force feeding of updates (even non security non bugfix varieties)
and windows ecosystem, as 'supported' by microsoft, is absolute and total shit. whereas before it was just trash. but at least it was trash you could pick through to find the bits and pieces you actually wanted.
BtW, the "financial sector" is using Linux for the stock exchanges.
So obviously they are using linux without any problems.
RARE FACT
Do not spread!
Big customers get perks, go figure. Those big contracts allow M$ to hire people to publish and manage the security info.
-- I have a private email server in my basement.
Facts are not allowed on slashdot! Get out of here you menace!
Hey son/daughter, as an old timer here let me clue you in a bit on how it works. If you take the time to post something like:
This is why windows SUGs O.o
You really should check that post as anonymous box. You don't want that type of post showing up ten years later. It's on the Internet forever, try not to look like a dork.
-- I have a private email server in my basement.
Why does Microsoft hate its user base so much?
Really, if this isn't one of the most anti-user things they've done (besides Windows 10) then I don't know what is.
It seems like every week they find a new way to say "Fuck you!" to their users.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
Linux switches its license to something a little more fair
I don't know why I'm feeding a troll and and AC besides, but the licensing for Linux is about as fair as it comes. You can use it for free, you can do anything legal with it you wish, and you can profit internally all you want, and you can't take away someone else's rights to do the same.
I suppose you think Microsoft or Apple's proprietary licenses are fair.
I would mod you up - but then your a anon___coward, good post though.
Get up!
What's the point of this?
To hide vulnerabilities from hackers, so that people who simply refuse to update Windows can't be targets?
Is that it?
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
Hooray, yet another EULA I have to sign.
>> Acceptance of the Gnu Eula requires a vow of poverty. You must not make any money by use of Gnu software such as Emacs and gcc
B.S. FUD
There's no such thing as a "Gnu Eula"
You are encouraged to make money with GCC.
You can sell it.
aaaaaaa
Cue the brainless Microsoft apologists who will try to spin this into something other than yet another reason to stop using Microsoft software.
I have been on the internet for over 20 years. i know what its capable of. and i frankly dont care. if you want to judge me on something like this 10 years from now, once again i dont care.
So, they don't issue a longwinded summary that's a pain to search, but instead give you a nicely searchable database. And this is bad?
I suspect this person's aversion to microsoft is not due to this particular thing.
I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
So you poor sheep that *still* use Windows are getting further ass-raped.. No more information as to WHAT is actually *in* the updates they force on you... Kinda like MS saying "You'll take what we send you and you'll LIKE it.. You don't NEED to know whats *in* the package we send you..."
Soooooooooooooo damn glad I no longer deal with MS issues.. I did that for 20 years and when I retired, I decided my systems would be 100% Linux.. Couldn't be happier...
THANK YOU, Edward Snowden!! Americans owe you a debt of gratitude (whether they know it or not..)
This dude, doesn't care, must be high
I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
Username checks out. O.o
A searchable database is much more useful than a collection of individual bulletins that, at best, cross-reference each other.
It looks like a some people are getting angry about the headline without realizing that it is being replaced with a modern, searchable interface.
On a related note, the headline sucks. I guarantee 99% of people associate "killing off" with complete elimination of the functionality, compared to words like updating, reworking, or revamping---which imply the functionality remains in a new form. I do expect editors to understand the nuances of the words they use.
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According to the latest ruleset, this post should be modded as Vorpal Flamebait +5.
Microsoft has offered pre-release patches and even Windows source code to enterprises for years. I assume these organizations will get patch notes as they always have.
It is not available to anyone, but I imagine the US government qualifies. You generally need to be large enough that the accompanying NDA will hurt a lot if you disclose their code or vulnerabilities.
Your comment confuses the issues and deserves to sit at 0 or -1.
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According to the latest ruleset, this post should be modded as Vorpal Flamebait +5.