Re: The multi-billionaire needs more billions



On Sat, 17 Sep 2005, Noodles Jefferson wrote:

> In article <pan.2005.09.18.01.56.32.695212@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Bitey
> (Bitey@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) dropped a +5 bundle of words...
>
>
> >
> > That's a growing issue as software applications become more complex. For
> > instance, the first version of Word had 100 commands. The 2003 version has
> > more than 1,500 commands and 35 tool bars.
>
> 35 toolbars??!!
>
> For what?
>
> I need to learn some fucking linux. Stat.
>
> >
> > "We need to make it easier for people to visualize information that comes
> > from different directions," Gates said.
> >
> > The Office redesign is meant to make it easier on the eyes, with the
> > myriad of menu boxes fading in and out of view depending on what tools are
> > being used.
> >
> > Microsoft designers developed the system by tracking — with permission
> > — every keystroke of some Office users, Charles Fitzgerald, general
> > manager of Microsoft's Platform Strategy Group, said in an interview.
> >
> > The idea is part of an industrywide trend toward personalizing technology
> > based on user habits. For example, Microsoft rival Google Inc. recently
> > updated its desktop search capability to present relevant information
> > based on a user's Web surfing habits.
> >
> > With Office 12, Microsoft also plans to focus more on how companies can
> > use the software instead of servers.
> >
> > A new function could route a document to three successive people, allowing
> > each person to automatically receive the most recently edited version when
> > the last person was finished.
> >
> > The preview of Windows Vista showed it employing animated, thumbnail photo
> > album-style displays to give users a quick look at the content of every
> > application running on their system.
> >
> > Hovering the mouse pointer over an index of data folders automatically
> > brought up a snapshot of its contents, not merely a description. A quick
> > search feature is also wired into nearly every Vista application.
> >
> > Microsoft's last major operating system redesign — Windows XP — was
> > plagued by security problems, forcing the company to issue numerous
> > software updates to plug holes in the code that made users vulnerable to
> > hackers.
> >
> > Gates said Vista would be easier to troubleshoot and would "avoid the
> > kinds of security problems people have had." (AP)
>
> Yeah right. It's not like Bill hasn't been saying this since win 3.1 or
> anything.
>

Avoiding old problems isn't an issue, surely instead of trying to
anticipate users actions they should be trying to anticipate attackers
actions, rather than use this discover-patch-wait-discover-patch-wait
method of bug/security fixing they have been employing.

It's no comfort to a business/user that has had their machine rooted to
find out that the same exploit will not happen on the next version of
windows. They surely want to know that the next windows is going to
sidestep (inasmuch as it can) the possibility of it being rooted.

In this respect I think the OpenBSD team have done very well,
concentrating on writing things correctly instead of making it 'user
friendly to the point of vomitting on that damn green field'. MS could
learn from them. But they wont. They don't need to.

</rant>
Patsy
.