Microsoft Users Upset with 'security updates'

eWeek Magazine ^ | Dec 23, 2002 | Dennis Fisher

[chilepepper]

A growing number of Microsoft Corp. customers are angry and frustrated with what they say are the company's thinly veiled attempts to use its well-publicized security initiative to get them to upgrade or buy new software.

Users contacted by eWeek last week reported various technical problems with Microsoft's automated services that let customers download and install patches for applications such as Internet Explorer 5.5 or Windows NT 4.0. They also said that when they contacted Microsoft support personnel, they were told that the software they were running was outdated. The solution: Upgrade to a more recent, more secure version.

One user with extensive security training, who asked not to be named, said she recently installed Windows 2000 Service Pack 3, which includes security fixes. The installation destroyed her network connection, forcing her to uninstall the service pack and leaving that machine exposed to the vulnerabilities the update should have fixed.

Others say that the combination of problems with Windows Update and other such services, along with Microsoft's decision to release some of its patches solely through these automated tools, have led them to dispense with installing some fixes altogether.

[chilepepper]

I post this article to go along with this FR thread:

Experts Say Microsoft Security Effort Failing

Since Microsoft is a software MARKETING company instead of a software DEVELOPMENT company, it is easy to see that they interpreted the entire security "thing" as

JUST ANOTHER GIMMICK THAT CAN BE USED TO SELL MORE PRODUCTS

as opposed to a way to, horrors,

a way to actually IMPROVE THE SECURITY of their products

[HadEnough]

I like your angle on SOFTWARE MARKETING versus SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT.

Many, many software engineers are now speaking the words "Microsoft needs to get sued for all the damage caused by their negligence!!"

The nonsense about "licensed for use" and "customer installation disclaimers" must give way to major corporations pooling their legal resources to SUCK the profits away from Gates and crew.

Then Microsoft will be forced back into the mold of responsible software development.

[cheme]

I did this upgrade to my XPPro version and it blew away all my netscape email accounts. The security install did not provide any warnings for xp users with non ms browsers.

[RWG]

a way to actually IMPROVE THE SECURITY of their products...get mac os 10.2!

[dyed_in_the_wool]

If you want security and privacy, you should consider OS X or Linux/BSD.
If you want to play games and let Big Brother keep an eye on your machine, go with Windows.

[B Knotts]

[thisiskubrick]

What a bunch of horsesh***!! Try suing Linus Torvalds for Linux bugs.. who gives a f*** if MS is good at both marketing and development.. it just means that most companies (except for Apple) suck at marketing. Go on, beat up on the big guy, post your anti-capitalist nonsense on this forum, Microsoft will prevail and win FOREVER against pesky little p***annts who b**** and moan about their tactics when they are the BIGGEST and the BADDEST and the BEST. Try giving Linux to the office secretary, your are doomed. They like apple, but apple sucks at enterprise software. There you go. MS WINS FOREVER thank you. Everyone else is just a jealous little whining p***ant.

[FreedomPoster]

Wow! Who pee'd in your corn flakes?

I'm a MS user, don't have a bit of Linux on the network, and that was really excessive. Take a 10mg Valium and don't call me in the morning.

[chilepepper]

You forgot to take your Prozac this morning...

Besides, eWeek is such an anti-WIndows magazine! all they do is rant about how bad Microsoft is! Pure Linux pushers!

(NOT)

[Mr_Magoo]

How big of a tow truck should I send to your location?

[js1138]

Win 2000 and XP ARE upgrades for NT 4.0. Win 2000 came out in 1998.

I'd like to know if Apple still supplies security upgrades for OS 8.0, or whether they are encouraging people to upgrade to X.

[Concerned]

DYED_IN_THE_WOOL WROTE: "If you want security and privacy, you should consider OS X or Linux/BSD. If you want to play games and let Big Brother keep an eye on your machine, go with Windows."

Isn't OS X just for Macs? Can it be used on a PC?

[thisiskubrick]

Linux is a portal for GPL infection... once they get you hooked on server software, before you know it you'll be booking a space on a $595 Perl "retreat" with Larry Wall and Richard Stallman.. and those guys don't shave or use deoderant

Linux shares the same number of syllables AND the same starting letter AND the same number of letters as "Lenin", it's free software, but the communist doctrine is cunningly encoded into the GPL, and it may be alluring but there's something devious behind that little cute penguin smile.. YES it means a lifetime of hanging out with pesky geeks.. instead of the "cooler" set from HR or marketing who only ever got C's in school but they still dress cool and have figured out something socially...

Have I fogotten my Prozac? YES. Have I forgotten my Valium? YES. I'm booked to goto Hong Kong tomorrow, where a bunch of Chinese yoyos are going to pitch linux to my butt and I gotta sell a tanker full of obsolete PDA's and a bag of stuffed smiling cute Penguins are gonna help with interest payments on my z-car?? Not. I gotta sell proprietary software like a man sells crack, take on standover tactics and scorched earth policies to cover that z-car payment, then I'll go on down to some anonymous bar and drink myself into the ground.

[chilepepper]

OS X is for macs only, although the UNIX OpenBSD it is based on has run on PC's for a while now.

There are rumours that Apple will release OS X for PC's but these remain rumours. Anyone heard more on this??

[HairOfTheDog]

Why does buying a product entitle anyone to have everything the company creates after that for free?

I have 1996 truck. Ford has utterly failed to keep my truck up to date whenever they come out with a new one! Cheats! - Profiteers!

jeesh.

[thisiskubrick]

OS X is for macs only, although the UNIX OpenBSD it is based on has run on PC's for a while now.

Since it's really NeXTStep I wonder if OS X will run on the old NeXT hardware.

[thisiskubrick]

If you bought a truck from a software vendor, it would come with only three wheels and you'd have to download the fourth. It'd be configured for left-hand-lane driving and you'd have to download a patch to drive in the right hand lane, but you can only switch after turning it off. If you don't use the vendor-approved fuel it will destroy itself. Also, wherever you drive will be tracked and reported.

[Porterville]

I read a report the other day that MIcrosoft should become it's own nation. I think it should, then ite wouldn't have to deal with soo many complainers, including the US gov.

[chilepepper]

Not to mention "RedHat" and the obvious allusions to Red, as in Communist, and Hat, as in DOMINATION, WORLD DOMINATION.

Not to mention, but have you ever LOOKED at the RedHat logo, it clearly looks like a SPY!!!

Remember Linus was brought up in Finland, so he can easily have traveled over to the Soviet Union for his instructions and indoctrination!

Besides, now he lives in California, a hot-spot of known Communists like Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins...

Remember folks, once you actually LEARN PERL, you are lost forever. Learning PERL -- REPROGRAMS YOUR BRAIN to be more receptive to auto-suggestion (like: "i'm going out and buying some BIRKENSTOCKS." or "i'm going out and buying some SAM ADAMS beer"). your brain is then ready to receive its subliminal orders from the RED CHINESE, which are cleverly steganographically embedded in all WAL-MART ADS...

[chilepepper]

Yeah, but if there is a safety defect in it, the Federal government mandates that the company must issue a recall and

FIX IT