Comments on: Something fishy's going on

Counterpane CTO Bruce Schneier says Microsoft is stalling the adoption of a best-practices document on software security to make sure it doesn't apply to the next version of Windows.

[Earl Benser]

So it should be news....

... that Microsoft is not about to let anyone tell it how to create
and implement software ?????

Remember what happened when MS decided that Sun's Java
interfered with MS's goals (especially in IE) ?? Thank goodness,
Sun had the rules in concrete or by now we all would be forced
to use MS's buggy VM code.

MS has it's own goals, development paths, and corporate
policies, none of which really have room for anyone else's ideas.
And that certainly isn't news to anyone who can think for
himself.

[Earl Benser]

So it should be news....

... that Microsoft is not about to let anyone tell it how to create
and implement software ?????

Remember what happened when MS decided that Sun's Java
interfered with MS's goals (especially in IE) ?? Thank goodness,
Sun had the rules in concrete or by now we all would be forced
to use MS's buggy VM code.

MS has it's own goals, development paths, and corporate
policies, none of which really have room for anyone else's ideas.
And that certainly isn't news to anyone who can think for
himself.

[bunkey91405]

Again, MS the 600 pound Gorilla

The history of Microsoft has been it's determination to dominate all computer software. MS has acted, without hesitation, to be the 600 pound gorilla of the industry and has overcome competition agressively in various areas. Would you expect MS to give up any advantage it has in ruthlessly destroying anything other than MS and, only MS. Why is open source Linux looking better and better to more of the market, because it is the only recourse to the MS gorilla and offers an OS and programs, that think more of the customer, than the OS company or manufacturer. Point of fact, how long has MS been criticized for poor security, but, only, after several public announcements and moving market share has MS, supposedly, taking the matter to heart with more than lip service.

The reason open-source looks better and better...

... is mostly because the open-source domain
views software (and hardware) as a tool -- the
traditional view.

Whereas the closed-source domain increasingly
views the user as a tool.

I'm not so convinced that the market will
polarize itself between "do what you want to do"
and "do what THEY want you to do". There's simply
too much to suggest that TCG will become
annoying, inconvenient, and costly with no
substantial benefit to the consumer. So long as
there is any alternative, there's little chance
of it predominating. The more onerous TCG
becomes, the more attractive the non-TCG
environment becomes.

For many companies, the TCG system poses a VERY
substantial IP threat and would be a no starter.
If HP won't sell you a TCG-free system, I bet
Lenovo will.

[bunkey91405]

Again, MS the 600 pound Gorilla

The history of Microsoft has been it's determination to dominate all computer software. MS has acted, without hesitation, to be the 600 pound gorilla of the industry and has overcome competition agressively in various areas. Would you expect MS to give up any advantage it has in ruthlessly destroying anything other than MS and, only MS. Why is open source Linux looking better and better to more of the market, because it is the only recourse to the MS gorilla and offers an OS and programs, that think more of the customer, than the OS company or manufacturer. Point of fact, how long has MS been criticized for poor security, but, only, after several public announcements and moving market share has MS, supposedly, taking the matter to heart with more than lip service.

The reason open-source looks better and better...

... is mostly because the open-source domain
views software (and hardware) as a tool -- the
traditional view.

Whereas the closed-source domain increasingly
views the user as a tool.

I'm not so convinced that the market will
polarize itself between "do what you want to do"
and "do what THEY want you to do". There's simply
too much to suggest that TCG will become
annoying, inconvenient, and costly with no
substantial benefit to the consumer. So long as
there is any alternative, there's little chance
of it predominating. The more onerous TCG
becomes, the more attractive the non-TCG
environment becomes.

For many companies, the TCG system poses a VERY
substantial IP threat and would be a no starter.
If HP won't sell you a TCG-free system, I bet
Lenovo will.

[educateme]

Software architect: Trustworthy Computing,XPSP3,Vista,CRM,MSN,Search,SQL 5

When you have 20,000 programmers you can throw a lot of
ideas up in the air and see where they come down. As the chief
designer of , Gates has his hands full trying to plug a leaking
ship...meanwhile the rest of the confused programmers are busy
trying to corner the market on CRM, MSNSearch, Office, SQL
Server, Groove, BizTalk, Vista, and whatever number the next
Service Pack for XP will be 3, 4, 5. Any chance this company has
more things to do than it has eyes, ears, and hands to do them?
When you make one bad product you usually concentrate and fix
it, when you make a dozen, where do you begin? A company
with this much money has but one mind, make more cash, crush
more companies with better ideas, cheat and steal a few more
good technologies, and try to corral your user base into forking
over their hard-earned money for half baked junk made with
"ADD" fixated groups of mishmashed products. Soon this gorilla
will choke, or better yet wither away when something plugs up
its rear end from letting out half-a**ed crap.

[Andrew J Glina]

My bet is on three

I know there is some silly game in the software world in skipping major version numbers, but I think that the next XP Service Pack will be three.

[educateme]

Software architect: Trustworthy Computing,XPSP3,Vista,CRM,MSN,Search,SQL 5

When you have 20,000 programmers you can throw a lot of
ideas up in the air and see where they come down. As the chief
designer of , Gates has his hands full trying to plug a leaking
ship...meanwhile the rest of the confused programmers are busy
trying to corner the market on CRM, MSNSearch, Office, SQL
Server, Groove, BizTalk, Vista, and whatever number the next
Service Pack for XP will be 3, 4, 5. Any chance this company has
more things to do than it has eyes, ears, and hands to do them?
When you make one bad product you usually concentrate and fix
it, when you make a dozen, where do you begin? A company
with this much money has but one mind, make more cash, crush
more companies with better ideas, cheat and steal a few more
good technologies, and try to corral your user base into forking
over their hard-earned money for half baked junk made with
"ADD" fixated groups of mishmashed products. Soon this gorilla
will choke, or better yet wither away when something plugs up
its rear end from letting out half-a**ed crap.

[Andrew J Glina]

My bet is on three

I know there is some silly game in the software world in skipping major version numbers, but I think that the next XP Service Pack will be three.

Backwards?

Bruce - What if you've got it backwards? MS might not want a profile that applies to software only systems because others on the committee (Sun, HP, and IBM) may ALREADY have software-only solutions that are compliant. Microsoft could be blocking adoption not to prevent it from applying to Vista, but to prevent others from touting their solutions before Vista even ships.

Backwards?

Bruce - What if you've got it backwards? MS might not want a profile that applies to software only systems because others on the committee (Sun, HP, and IBM) may ALREADY have software-only solutions that are compliant. Microsoft could be blocking adoption not to prevent it from applying to Vista, but to prevent others from touting their solutions before Vista even ships.

>Trusted< Computing

Well, to me, thanks but no thanks.

Unless i have ABSOLUTE certainty i'll be able to NOT use TPC-technology at choice i will start collecting non-TPC motherboards from this day forth as to build a FREE-technology computer system tomorrow.

I mean ... WHAT security ? To privatise WHAT ? From WHOM ? A virus ? A ... company ? A governement ? A nation ? Unknowns ?

Why not spend all that great money on making great software instead, at a slower rate.

>Trusted< Computing

Well, to me, thanks but no thanks.

Unless i have ABSOLUTE certainty i'll be able to NOT use TPC-technology at choice i will start collecting non-TPC motherboards from this day forth as to build a FREE-technology computer system tomorrow.

I mean ... WHAT security ? To privatise WHAT ? From WHOM ? A virus ? A ... company ? A governement ? A nation ? Unknowns ?

Why not spend all that great money on making great software instead, at a slower rate.

[HughT]

Trusted? Computing Group

Any group calling itself "Trusted" that includes Microsoft is an oxymoron from my point of view

[HughT]

Trusted? Computing Group

Any group calling itself "Trusted" that includes Microsoft is an oxymoron from my point of view