Bonum Certa Men Certa

Eye on Microsoft: Picture of a Monopoly in Constant Decline

"In the face of strong competition, Evangelism's focus may shift immediately to the next version of the same technology, however. Indeed, Phase 1 (Evangelism Starts) for version x+1 may start as soon as this Final Release of version X."

--Microsoft, internal document [PDF]



Hasta La Vista, Vista



Microsoft appears to have given up after unsuccessful ad campaigns and a lukewarm response. It moves on to 'vapourware mode' once again, after 5+ years of vapourware mode for Windows Vista (2001-2006). Here are some supportive new references:

1. Embattled Vista set to ride into the sunset

Otherwise, despite the fact that Windows's toughest challengers - Linux and Apple Inc. - remain bit players in the operating system game, Microsoft risks suffering in the arena of public perception, again.


2. Microsoft bailing on Vista

It is a commonly known truth that since Vista was launched, alternative operating systems from the likes of Apple and Linux are doing better than ever.


3. Windows Vista No Longer Matters

Make no mistake: Microsoft has moved beyond Windows Vista, which will become all too apparent during this week's Professional Developer Conference. Windows 7 is the future, and in many ways it's the present, too.


4. Vista is doomed

AS MICROSOFT goes into this week's Professional Developer Conference, it is hard to find anyone keen to talk about Vista. True, it is a developer's forum, so you would expect a fair slice of the talk to focus on Windows 7, but it seems that no one wants to mention the V word, according to Microsoft Watch.


Almost 2 years after the RTM milestone of Vista, Apple and Vista still don't get along, proving that maturity and compatibility may still be far off.

iTunes 8 to Vista: Give Me a B, an S, an OD



[...]

Apple says the problem can have more than one cause, and the company hasn't yet promised a patch. But if you're suffering from this unhappy pairing,


Vista graphics



Vista 7 Already Open to Hijackers



Yes, only a short time after reaching the hands of testers, Vista 7 [sic] is open to attacks, just like the rest of those versions of Windows.

"A security issue has been identified that could allow an authenticated remote attacker to compromise your Microsoft Windows-based system and gain control over it," the security update says.

The more than 6,000 attendees who will be walking away from the sold-out event with the Windows 7 operating system software in hand could have been vulnerable to an attacker exploiting the security hole.


Some early testers of Vista 7 are far from impressed.

My initial evaluation of Windows 7 shows that it's really just Vista with a fresh coat of paint


This says that Vista 7 is just as slow as Vista.

More on Security



Pseudonym Bob X Cringely has published the article "Windows: Unsafe at Any Speed," which reached the New York Times and provoked to then receive a lot of reactions. Here's a reflection:

I like the convenience-store analogy. But when a 7-Eleven gets robbed, everyone who shops there doesn't end up getting his wallet lifted. When there's a critical Windows flaw like the one they patched last week, everyone is vulnerable. We need more than security cameras here, bub.


According to the BBC, kids as young as 11 capitalise on the insecurities.

"I see kids of 11 and 12 sharing credit card details and asking for hacks," said Chris Boyd, director of malware research at FaceTime Security.

Many teenagers got into low level crime by looking for exploits and cracks for their favourite computer games.


To those dare to exploit trivial loopholes receive severe punishment, but shouldn't the vulnerable system deserve at least some of the blame?

Student charged after alerting principal to server hack



[...]

A 15-year-old high school student in New York State has been charged with three felonies after he allegedly accessed personnel records on his school's poorly configured computer network and then notified his principal of the security weakness.

The unnamed student of Shenendehowa Central School was charged Thursday with computer trespass, unlawful possession of a personal identification information and identity theft, according to news reports. He has been suspended from school and ordered to stand charges in family court in Saratoga County.


There's not much hope when intrusion might as well be assumed.

"State and local officials are investigating if state and law-enforcement computer systems were illegally accessed when they were tapped for personal information about "Joe the Plumber."

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher became part of the national political lexicon Oct. 15 when Republican presidential candidate John McCain mentioned him frequently during his final debate with Democrat Barack Obama.


The critical flaw which affects virtually every version of Windows and enables almost any machine to be hijacked without user intervention is actively being exploited already.

A public exploit has been circulated for the recent RPC hole in Windows. When the vulnerability was publicised last Wednesday, Microsoft still said in its security bulletin that although there were targeted attacks, the actual attack code wasn't publicly available – but the company did warn that the the hole was a potential target for worms. It now seems that this prediction has come true, as a program called "Gimmiv.A" has reportedly been sighted in the wild. Gimmiv.A infiltrates vulnerable computers and sends information back to base. Some virus scanners and intrusion detection systems already offer signatures to recognise these attacks.


Azure Means Giving Microsoft Your Computer, Too



It has been said for months that cloud computing has the danger which is lock-in. Mike reminds his readers of that.

There was a ton of press coverage today over Microsoft's not-particularly-surprising announcement of Microsoft Azure, its attempt to get into the cloud computing business, competing with the likes of Amazon, Google's AppEngine and (now) Rackspace, among others. Microsoft entering this space isn't a surprise at all, so it's a bit disappointing to see the sheer lack of details surrounding the announcement. Amazon has succeeded in the space because of two main things: incredibly cheap prices and ridiculous ease-of-use.


The troubling thing is that Microsoft's platform is merely lock-in 2.0.

First of all, Microsoft doesn't have the greatest track record on the Internet, and it's not clear that developers will jump onto the Windows Azure bandwagon. Will businesses be willing to commit to a proprietary platform and lock their cloud applications to Microsoft's datacenters?


Well, that least Microsoft is being honest.

"When you hit the quota...it's possible we will block access to your site," Microsoft's Manuvir Das told PDC after a session, Lap Around Windows Azure. Das did try to reassure potential developers blocking was not guaranteed, but noted: "We have the capability to do that and may have to do that."


Miscellaneous



The astounding failure rate of XBox 360 is still leaving customers angry, as evidenced by the following post.

A supposedly ‘Elite’ system which I had to purchase last year the DAY after Halo 3 was released since I got the Rings of Death?


This is very bad for the Microsoft brand. Between the Line sums it up well by writing that "Fear of Microsoft Fades."

[I]t’s exactly 10 years ago this week, that a live audience of Microsoft watchers was trying to crowd into Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson’s court room in Washington, D.C., so grab a glimpse of Chairman Bill Gates’ video deposition on whether Microsoft had used the monopoly power of its operating system to drive Netscape and its Navigator browser out of business.


Those who claim that Microsoft suffers no decline are simply not keeping up with things.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Comparing U.E.F.I. to B.I.O.S. (Bloat and Insecurity to K.I.S.S.)
By Sami Tikkanen
New 'Slides' From Stallman Support (stallmansupport.org) Site
"In celebration of RMS's birthday, we've been playing a bit. We extracted some quotes from the various articles, comments, letters, writings, etc. and put them in the form of a slideshow in the home page."
Thailand: GNU/Linux Up to 6% of Desktops/Laptops, According to statCounter
Desktop Operating System Market Share Thailand
António Campinos is Still 'The Fucking President' (in His Own Words) After a Fake 'Election' in 2022 (He Bribed All the Voters to Keep His Seat)
António Campinos and the Administrative Council, whose delegates he clearly bribed with EPO budget in exchange for votes
Adrian von Bidder, homeworking & Debian unexplained deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Sainsbury’s Epic Downtime Seems to be Microsoft's Fault and Might Even Constitute a Data Breach (Legal Liability)
one of Britain's largest groceries (and beyond) chains
 
People Don't Just Kill Themselves (Same for Other Animals)
And recent reports about Boeing whistleblower John Barnett
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 18, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, March 18, 2024
Suicide Cluster Cover-up tactics & Debian exposed
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 19/03/2024: A Society That Lost Focus and Abandoning Social Control Media
Links for the day
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE: Plagiarism & Child labour in YH4F
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Linux Foundation Boasting About Being Connected to Bill Gates
Examples of boasting about the association
Alexandre Oliva's Article on Monstering Cults
"I'm told an earlier draft version of this post got published elsewhere. Please consider this IMHO improved version instead."
[Meme] 'Russian' Elections in Munich (Bavaria, Germany)
fake elections
Sainsbury's to Techrights: Yes, Our Web Site Broke Down, But We Cannot Say Which Part or Why
Windows TCO?
Plagiarism: Axel Beckert (ETH Zurich) & Debian Developer list hacking
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 18/03/2024: Putin Cements Power
Links for the day
Flashback 2003: Debian has always had a toxic culture
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
[Meme] You Know You're Winning the Argument When...
EPO management starts cursing at everybody (which is what's happening)
Catspaw With Attitude
The posts "they" complain about merely point out the facts about this harassment and doxing
'Clown Computing' Businesses Are Waning and the Same Will Happen to 'G.A.I.' Businesses (the 'Hey Hi' Fame)
decrease in "HEY HI" (AI) hype
Free Software Needs Watchdogs, Too
Gentle lapdogs prevent self-regulation and transparency
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE analogous to identity fraud
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 18/03/2024: LLM Inference and Can We Survive Technology?
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 17, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, March 17, 2024
Links 17/03/2024: Microsoft Windows Shoves Ads Into Third-Party Software, More Countries Explore TikTok Ban
Links for the day
Molly Russell suicide & Debian Frans Pop, Lucy Wayland, social media deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Our Plans for Spring
Later this year we turn 18 and a few months from now our IRC community turns 16
Open Invention Network (OIN) Fails to Explain If Linux is Safe From Microsoft's Software Patent Royalties (Charges)
Keith Bergelt has not replied to queries on this very important matter
RedHat.com, Brought to You by Microsoft Staff
This is totally normal, right?
USPTO Corruption: People Who Don't Use Microsoft Will Be Penalised ~$400 for Each Patent Filing
Not joking!
The Hobbyists of Mozilla, Where the CEO is a Bigger Liability Than All Liabilities Combined
the hobbyist in chief earns much more than colleagues, to say the least; the number quadrupled in a matter of years
Jim Zemlin Says Linux Foundation Should Combat Fraud Together With the Gates Foundation. Maybe They Should Start With Jim's Wife.
There's a class action lawsuit for securities fraud
Not About Linux at All!
nobody bothers with the site anymore; it's marketing, and now even Linux
Links 17/03/2024: Abuses Against Human Rights, Tesla Settlement (and Crash)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 16, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, March 16, 2024
Under Taliban, GNU/Linux Share Nearly Doubled in Afghanistan, Windows Sank From About 90% to 68.5%
Suffice to say, we're not meaning to imply Taliban is "good"
Debian aggression: woman asked about her profession
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 17/03/2024: Winter Can't Hurt Us Anymore and Playstation Plus
Links for the day