Re: Warning to TTG and all!

[jake@xxxxxxxx]

- Maybe in reply to: Allan Needell: "Warning to TTG and all!"

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>This is very old news, completely discredited. The win95 registration
  As I said, it was news to me. I found it a couple days ago at eff.org,
which is not a place known for spreading FUD or bashing MS. Whether or not
it has been discredited is rather debateable -- you mean MS denies it, I
suppose. But seeing as they have been nailed for large sums of money in
court for stealing software from small developers before (remember their
version of Stacker?), it certainly is quite plausible, even probable, that
they would do this.
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Harmon:

Here's a response from one lawyer to another; it seems that something is/was
going on here.

****************************************************************
> The spreaders of this fud are paranoid, OS2 zealots, MS bashers
> and other generic children and neurotics or a combination of any
> of these.

Actually, I think you are being unfair.

This "feature" has gone through a number of revisions in the betas. Though I
am unaware of it ever sending network data, I am aware that in at least one
beta
it sent a full list of programs on the machine, and I have confirmation of
this
from a Microsoft manager.

I don't know what the final product sends. Nor do you. We have no final
product yet.

I am disturbed by the fact that I have no assurances other than
Microsft's for what it does send, and no easy way to check save for putting a
sniffer/buffer on the output stream.

In all the betas that I saw it asked before sending data, though the message
was made clearer later on.  I do agree with Ralph nader on this one though
(shudder), that the average consumer is unlikely to know the import of what he
is doing and it is likely to think it necessary for support.

I note that the Australian Navy today prohibited use of Win95 because of this
feature and I read (though I am not sure of the reliability of the source)
that a Motorola development facitilty has a similar ban. I am also told that
the matter is under fierce discussion between MS and a number of European
agencies.

The problem is that MSN provides an easy *unsecure* network from the point of
view of the employer. Microsoft and not the user determines whether and what
is
sent (permission request notwithstanding).

 An elementary rule in security is that you can not rely
on good intentions, and right now, the only protection against loss of
confidential information is a faith that Microsft would not exceed what is
reasonable.

I do think microsoft would take a lot of heat if they transgressed.

When I was in charge of our lawfirm's computer system I would never have
allowed an outsider access to one of our computers on their representation
that
they would only take what was proper, just as I would not leave an ousider in
the offices alone after hours on their assurance that they would not look in
the
files.

Regards,
John Lederer
************************************************

I really can't believe that Microsoft would leave themselves open to a gaggle
of law suits, but then, who knows?

:Jacob Green | INET:jake@xxxxxxxx | CIS :73457,3711 | Voice:201-455-0455:
 :  2 Ridgedale Avenue | P.O. Box 551 | Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927-0551  :

- Maybe in reply to: Allan Needell: "Warning to TTG and all!"