Microsoft giving security patches to US Government first

[iago]

http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050314.gtpatchmar14/BNStory/Technology/

This has been depated on mailing lists for the last few days.  I think there are severals with this practice; one of them being that the US Government isn't the only government in the world (despite what Americans think :P).  By giving them early patches, there is no way to know that the US Intelligence won't reverse engineer these patches and use them for evil purposes. 

I like the quote somebody used on a mailing list saying that, as a result of this, full disclosure will probably become more common.  If one group of potentially dangerous people are going to be aware of the vulnerbility, why bother with "responsible disclosure"?  Might as well give everybody an equal chance to defend themselves.

[Quik]

There are a few things concerning here.

This thould be alarming to any common Windows user, being unprotected for after full month after Microsoft put out a patch for something that's probably rather old anyway. If this is something like a Service Pack where it just covers old exploits that shouldn't be there anyway, then it's not such a big deal. But if it's like the not-so-monthly Windows Updates that would leave non-government users vulnerable for a month after their delayed release, this is definately a very bad thing.

Also, what's to say that it will be totally restrictive? Sure, only US government employees will get them, at first. But eventually things trickle down. That summer blockbuster hit that you downloaded 2 weeks before it hit theatures was donated by the same people who splice porn into childrens movies; people who aren't afraid of the law or large power-hungry corperations. These same corrupt people would allow intelligent Windows users (oxymoron?) to update that month early ('intelligent' being not only people who do update Windows..) because of the nice people in the US government who happen to have connections to the outside world.

[Newby]

Fuck Microsoft.

Pretty soon, I'm gonna have a Microsoft hoodie and a M$ .NET T-Shirt. ^^

[iago]

Pretty soon, I'm gonna have a Microsoft hoodie and a M$ .NET T-Shirt. ^^

Eww, i'd kill myself :P

[Newby]

Pretty soon, I'm gonna have a Microsoft hoodie and a M$ .NET T-Shirt. ^^

Eww, i'd kill myself :P

No fucking way. I'm gonna look SO EXTREMELY COOL at school it will attract ALL THE WOMEN.

Let me see what else I got ...

XP SP2
Virtual PC 2004
Office Pro 2003
Visio (?) (Dad made me get)
Some really cool 4-in-1 pen
MS .NET T-Shirt
MS Hoodie
Mechassault 2

I think I might have gotten a really cool cup meant to hold coffee, but it's just designed to keep the heat/cold in, so it'll be good for soda and such. Plus, the green tint it has is really cool looking.

That's about it. :/

[iago]

Wow, all that software sucks! :)

I don't like Visio. It's for planning out like flowcharts and networks and stuff.  Crap!

[Quik]

Eww @ taking SP2.

[Mythix]

I had the luxery of planning out networks in visio in my networking II course, that thing is so terrible, pen and paper plz kthx.

[Newby]

Eww @ taking SP2.

Believe me, I asked for an SP1 version.

There was none. The end of the world is nearing, SP2 will be delivered to all computers on April <censored>!

Plus, my dad argued with me about SP2.

He's really hard to argue with, he's extremely technical with details, he doesn't studder, and he speaks points I can't counter. He could be the ultimate salesmen. He knows what he's talking about. Damn M$ whore~! :O

[Quik]

Who buys computers prebuilt anymore? That's a bad idea to ship it with SP2, for many customers.

You need to learn how to debate :p

[01Linux]

Newby, Can I have your phone number? I'd like to debate with your dad.

[Newby]

Who buys computers prebuilt anymore? That's a bad idea to ship it with SP2, for many customers.

You need to learn how to debate :p

Lots of people do. Lots.

How do you think buisnesses like Dell, Compaq, Alienware, etc, stay in buisness?

[Quik]

I know they do, but I'm talking about intelligent people!

I don't, and none of my friends do. We're all that matters.

[RoMi]

Not the greatest idea to give away patches to the government before everyone else.  I never knew microsoft was so buddy, buddy with the government anyway, didn't they get sued by the government in the late 90's?
I built my own too, with some suggestions from quik and andy last summer :).

[GameSnake]

Not the greatest idea to give away patches to the government before everyone else.  I never knew microsoft was so buddy, buddy with the government anyway, didn't they get sued by the government in the late 90's?
I built my own too, with some suggestions from quik and andy last summer :).

Not exactly sure but I believe they where sued for becoming a monopoly and eventually settled on splitting some of the company up.