Microsoft still loves you...

[Denyer]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/20 ... ting_vuln/

...how the bloody ****ing hell did that get into the code base?

[Sixswitch]

You have to start questioning the intentions of Microsoft when you hear something like this. Can their programmers really be that incompetent?

Incidentally, I use Firefox now, which works like a charm. Only problem I've found is that it doesn't display certain geocities sites properly. I think this is because the site was built with geocities' own editor, and contains bad code. IE displays it, but IE is bad code, so they have common ground.

-Ss

[Chromia]

Originally posted by Denyer
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/20 ... ting_vuln/

...how the bloody ****ing hell did that get into the code base?

Well, I still use Windows ME, (no laughter,please), so theres not a lot more that can go wrong with my PC.

[Gesani]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/12 ... p_moaning/

Originally posted by Sixswitch
You have to start questioning the intentions of Microsoft when you hear something like this. Can their programmers really be that incompetent?

and on defense as aslways.....


This paticular exploit probally wasnt thought of by the programmers at the time. i am still a firm beliver in the "if i dont know about how can i fix it" theroy.. of course not makeing the press becuase they dont care about is how many new expliots did they fix?

[RID Scourge]

Develop the perfect code, and it'll be hacked ten ways from sunday in a week . . .

[King Fargo]

Originally posted by Kup1
Well, I still use Windows ME, (no laughter,please), so theres not a lot more that can go wrong with my PC.

Unless it's a Celeron...


Skynet in the Terminator movies was probably a Celeron. It probably became sentient as a result of crashing so often.

[Cyberman]

Originally posted by Gesani
i am still a firm beliver in the "if i dont know about how can i fix it" theroy

That´s why the testing shouldn´t be done by the programmer alone. And not during his lunch break - such things take time.

But of course, MS doesn´t have time - every second a competor could overrune them. Not.

They´ve already got a de-facto monopoly - can´t they take their time to test the systems BEFORE publishing them?

[Sir Auros]

Thing is, were Linux the dominant OS, just as many security problems would be found, just as many viruses would be unleashed, etc. Asshat programmers are going to f*ck around no matter what. Same reasons why copy protection won't work, people will always find a way around something.

I didn't read this article, but did read one about this earlier talking about the big security flaw being IE's ability to drag and drop files, with MS stating that the amount of user cooperation involved is so high that it's not being viewed as a high security risk. Can't say I'd feel sorry for someone being duped by that as it's dumbsh*ts like that who keep whoever it is designing these irritating, "shoot-the-duck-and-win!!!1!" advertisements.

That being said, I'm avoiding SP2 if I can help it since there are apparently compatibility issues with several popular games.

[Garand]

Various builds, or "Release Canidates" of SP2 have been out since early summer, if not late spring, for IT implementors and developers to test with and report back their findings. These release canidates were also available to the public on Microsoft's Technet website.

Curreently, I'm running SP2 and have not had a problem thus far. Many of the problems can be attributed to the new firewall. In the Knowledge Base, Article 884130 Lists known programs, with links in the article to configuration, troubleshooting te firewall, and to the manufacturer's websites to check if they have released a patch.

[homerbot]

microsoft does not love me in any way
i wanna get my uncle to outfit my new computer with linux when he gets it for me

[Denyer]

Originally posted by Sir Auros
Thing is, were Linux the dominant OS, just as many security problems would be found

You've never actually coded anything, have you?

In order for software to succumb, it has to have flaws. Flaws are not an inevitability, no matter what Richmond would have you believe—somewhere along the line, systems have been developed which are vulnerable to buffer exploits, which permit too much control to the user, or to a remote agency.

Write something simple (eg, a word processor which doesn't come with a scripting language which can access the underlying filesystem) and it won't get 0wned. For those people who do need the aforementioned scripting language which can access the filesystem directly, you have them turn it on manually, and you make certain that whoever does so understands what crap it enables.

When the default install is weak, you'll see worms and viruses. About fifteen f*cking years too late, Microsoft is waking up to this.

Originally posted by Gesani
This paticular exploit probally wasnt thought of by the programmers at the time.

Of course it wasn't f*cking thought of at the time. Someone didn't sit down and think: "I know what the drag-and-drop system needs! The ability to be remotely told to collect an executable, copy it to a place on the user's system which will automatically run that executable next time they reboot and not give warning!"

On the other hand, they didn't think, "should the drag-and-drop component take information only from user action, question any request to transfer files to the user's startup folder and make damn sure the action is intentional?"

Originally posted by Gesani
i am still a firm beliver in the "if i dont know about how can i fix it" theroy

That's why you let (or hire) someone more with more intelligence, dedication and perception to read and test it...

Originally posted by Sir Auros
I'm avoiding SP2 if I can help it since there are apparently compatibility issues with several popular games.

The default install prevents (or attempts to prevent) unauthorised access to internet servers—it's simply a matter of setting up the firewall. This is something which cannot—and should not—be automated. Because fully automated software installation is how all the scumware out there gets people into trouble in the first place.

People who have placed their faith in Microsoft by buying XP—you're already complicit, and SP2 is probably the best thing the amoral and incompetent bastards have produced in years.

[RID Scourge]

Originally posted by King Fargo
Unless it's a Celeron...


Skynet in the Terminator movies was probably a Celeron. It probably became sentient as a result of crashing so often.

My laptop's a celeron, and it performs worlds better than my P3 desktop, so .

Then again, it also depends on software, computer company, and how well you treat your computer.

[Cyberman]

Originally posted by Denyer
The default install prevents (or attempts to prevent) unauthorised access to internet servers—it's simply a matter of setting up the firewall. This is something which cannot—and should not—be automated. Because fully automated software installation is how all the scumware out there gets people into trouble in the first place.

It´s better to have a firewall that´s set up automatically than to have none at all. These users don´t think "Oh, I´ve got no firewall, I should install one" - they go "dum di dum....", nothing more...

[Denyer]

Better that some prat can't work out how to play Starfleet Command than his/her box sits there on a broadband connection spewing spam, DDoS, credit card details, viruses and other ****.

[homerbot]

Originally posted by PaladinPrime
Then again, it also depends on software, computer company, and how well you treat your computer.

and how much stuff you have that is taking up space

[RID Scourge]

Yup. That, too.

I don't put as much junk on this machine either.