In article <2142116BA613D311B3B000105A703B7D35FA@MAIL>,
Tim Doscher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>To this point I strongly disagree. I feel that Microsoft has made
>tremendous strides in taking security seriously and meeting customers
>legitimate needs.
OK, Could you tell us why you think Microsoft has made tremendous strides
in taking security seriously and meeting customer's legitimate needs? In
my experience, the security issues with Microsoft products have worsened
rather than improved, with things like their moving GDI into the kernel in
NT 4.0, in integrating the browser and the desktop in IE4, in changing the
file formats for Office 97 so the "MACLIST" patch that completely disabled
autoexecution of macros in Word no longer worked, and so on...
I have seen no indication that Microsoft considers security to be more than
a checklist on a requirements sheet, to be satisfied by buzzwords.
>I believe that
>most people would agree that a high percentage of software problems are
>caused by lack of definitive knowledge of the product.
Definitive knowledge of NT is simply not possible. There is no source. There
is not even source for a *similar* product available. It changes continuously,
with new service packs and hidden upgrades in applications. It is simply not
possible for anyone outside Microsoft to claim definitive knowledge of NT. It
is unlikely that there is anyone *INSIDE* Microsoft who can make that claim.
>Which leads to my final request, if you prefer another product, then use it,
>if you don't like it, don't use it. Let's try not to make this a
>pro-"anything" or a "lets bash so and so" forum. There is plenty of
>constructive topics that we can focus on.
Such as making honest recommendations of products, and explaining why.
If we have to self-censor ourselves because some folks who have an emotional
investment in NT are not made uncomfortable, that is itself a security problem.
--
In hoc signo hack, Peter da Silva <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
`-_-' Ar rug t� barr�g ar do mhact�re inniu?
'U` "Be vewy vewy quiet...I'm hunting Jedi." -- Darth Fudd
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