Bonum Certa Men Certa

Reader's Post: 3 Stories on Advising Against Using IE

Microsoft BBC



Summary: Criticisms brought forth by several Boycott Novell readers

EARLIER TODAY we wrote about the BBC's poor coverage of Internet Explorer (IE) denouncements, which happened at a national level. Instead of just reporting the news, the BBC added Microsoft spin and some readers of ours saw that clearly. Separately, and completely independently from the previous post, another reader wrote to us some hours ago:

I just read a story this morning on the BBC where France joins Germany in advising against the use of Internet Explorer. It tries to discourage people from switching by saying that other browsers may have other security problems and quotes Microsoft as saying that IE is the "most secure browser":

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8463516.stm

I notice that the above story differs a bit from the original story where it was only Germany giving this advice. This story doesn't contain so much of the Microsoft "hard sell" words such as "most secure browser":

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8465038.stm

I suppose that means that Microsoft is really worried about this latest event. Finally, here is a story in French for comparison. Of the 3 stories, this one by far seems the most straightforward and factual:

http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies...

A summary of the Microsoft sourced content is something like "Microsoft completely rejects the allegations and says that the security problems encountered by Google do not affect ordinary users. The problem can be solved by setting the security level to 'high'." It goes on to say that BSI says that raising the security level makes the attacks more difficult, but does not prevent them completely. The article ends by saying that setting security to 'high' disables ActiveX and Javascript, which may render some Websites completely inaccessible. MS-BBC indeed!



Another reader wrote to us the following two days ago:

This incident shows how easy Microsofters can operate posing as ICT workers.

Everyone 'understands' the idea of practicing medicine and many spotted trouble but no one did anything about it for the longest time:

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done

Very few understand ICT so if a whole IT department gets replaced by poseurs, there's no one to call them on it. Even if there is, like in the fake doctor case, they'll keep their mouth shut hoping that 'someone' would have prevented any mischief.


Microsoft-oriented administrators are notorious for just rebooting and never actually diagnosing issues, which means that the issues will recur.

Some other interesting input from readers can be found in the IRC channel. Yesterday for example we learned from Eruaran that "Microsoft has discontinued XP Pro, but technically business customers can still use it. They are artificially inflating Windows 7 numbers by forcing people to buy Windows 7. One of our business clients today needed to upgrade from Windows 2000 to XP because of lack of driver support on newer hardware."

"Same trick [are] applied to Vista figures," says FurnaceBoy.

“They are looking forward to MS putting XP under the deprecated OS list.”
      --Oiaohm
Eruaran continues: "According to Microsoft, if they buy Windows 7 Professional they can use one of their Windows XP Profesional license keys to install XP on that system, then call Microsoft to tell them that they bought W7Pro and they are ok with that. Windows 7 never gets installed, Windows XP does, but they have to buy a Windows 7 license. Microsoft is promoting the idea that 'business is embracing Windows 7', but its a complete crock."

Oiaohm writes: "MS forget to tell people that entities like charities got free upgrades for Vista to Windows 7 in there usable licence keys and can install back to windows 2000 under that licence. Yet everyone else is expect to pay for upgrades. [...] No new issued keys. By the roll. Each roll is 10 000 keys. So far they have not got through the first roll. They are looking forward to MS putting XP under the deprecated OS list."

This sure puts Vista 7 in perspective, doesn't it? Never underestimate public relations (PR). You know that they lie when their lips are moving. It's their job to deceive; those who do not deceive will not survive in this job.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Deja vu: Hitler's Birthday, Andreas Tille elected Debian Project Leader again
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Microsoft's 'Lawsuit Diplomacy' (SLAPPs Riding UK Libel Law and Piggybacking UK GDPR, Inapplicable!) Will Only Give a Worse Image to Microsofters (and Microsoft), Give Exposure to Even More Suppressed Facts and Scandals
Microsoft came to dominate some sectors because of (or owing to) crimes; Microsoft won't just go away without some more crimes.
Five (or Three) Years Without Social Control Media
Glyn Moody quit X (Twitter)
Why GNU/Linux is Growing
There's growing interest in GNU/Linux right now because people do not fancy buying a new PC just to 'upgrade' (more spying) Windows
 
Links 20/04/2025: Partly Assorted Scientific and Political Leftovers
Links for the day
Links 20/04/2025: Many Data Breaches and Growing Censorship Wave
Links for the day
Gemini Links 20/04/2025: Canadian Elections and "Use the Best Tools You Have for the Current Environment"
Links for the day
Links 20/04/2025: Bleeding Constitution and ChatGPT Infuriates Users Some More
Links for the day
Chinese OEMs (and World's Largest) Pave a Path Out of Microsoft Windows
So Microsoft now values (or prices) Vista 11 at just $140?
Gemini Links 20/04/2025: Contradictions of Mark Carney and Blog Questions Challenge
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 19, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, April 19, 2025
Electronics in People's Bedrooms
Modern technology not only blurred the gap between "functions" of rooms
Gemini Links 19/04/2025: Contingencies, GTD, and Old Computers
Links for the day
Links 19/04/2025: Economic Races, Charm Offensives, and USB-C Rants
Links for the day
Links 19/04/2025: "Infantilization at Big Tech" and LLM Slop Abused in Defiance of Workplace Rules/Policies
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/04/2025: Palm Addiction and Real Experts
Links for the day
Egypt is Controlled by Google, Not Microsoft
Moving from Microsoft to Google is not the answer
Microsofters Say They Cannot Find a Job (That They Want) Because of Techrights, But Techrights Merely Reported on Their Behaviour
Quit pointing the finger at people who are recipients of abuse or merely mention the abuse
Free Software and Standards - Not Marketing Blitz - Needed Amid Growing Severity of Dependency on Hostile Suppliers (or Another Country's Sovereignty)
ZenDiS can be described as the "Center for Digital Sovereignty of Public Administration"
When It Comes to the Web, Google is Evil and It Destroys the Web's Integrity With LLM Slop
Even academia, which is meant to keep standards high, is being lured into LLM slop
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 18, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, April 18, 2025
Links 18/04/2025: "Fentanylware (TikTok) Exodus Continues", Chinese Weapons Allegedly in Russia Already
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Price of Games and State of Tinylog
Links for the day
Sounds Like IBM is Preparing for Mass Layoffs/Redundancies in Red Hat, Albeit in "PIP" (Performance Improvement Plan) or "Relocation" Clothing
This isn't the "old" IBM; they're applying pressure by confusion and humiliation
Gemini Links 17/04/2025: Role of Language and Back to Mutt for E-mail
Links for the day
"Sayonara" (さよなら), Microsoft
Windows had fallen below iOS in some countries
Links 18/04/2025: Layoffs at Microsoft Infosys and Qt Becoming Increasingly Proprietary (Plus Slop)
Links for the day
Google News is Dying
treating MElon's algorithmic/biased site as a source of verified news
Microsoft's Attack Dogs Have Failed. Now What?
It would be utterly foolish to assume that Microsoft has any intention of changing
All Your "Github Projects" Will be Gone One Day (Just Like Skype)
If you have code you wish to share and keep, then start learning how to do so on your own
To Understand Who's Truly Controlling You Follow the Trail of Censorship (or Self-Censorship)
Do not let media steal and steer the narrative; CoCs are not about "social justice", they're about corporate domination
Fedora Already Lost Its Soul Under IBM
Fedora used to be very strict compared to many other distros and it had attracted very bright volunteers
Microsoft is Still Attacking GNU/Linux and the Net
Microsoft bribed the government using money that did not even exist
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 17, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, April 17, 2025
Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Pinephone Pro and Linux is too Easy
Links for the day