M$ to micro-manage your computer

[voidmain]

Thank God M$ is here to save the day!
http://www.theregus.com/content/4/25340.html

[ravenger666]

For People who don't like clicking on the links:


A recent MSNBC article by techno-pundit Steven Levy discusses Microsoft's plans for a new computer operating environment (code-named "Palladium") that links hardware, software, and data into a neat package, allegedly more secure and convenient for users.

Or, putting it in simpler terms, it's Microsoft's answer to fixing everything that's wrong with computing today.

According to Levy, Palladium is a hardware and software combination that will supposedly seal information from attackers, block viruses and worms, eliminate spam, and allow users to control their personal information even after it leaves their computer. It will also implement Digital Rights Management (DRM) for movies and music to allow users to exercise 'fair use' rights of such products. Palladium will essentially create a proprietary computing environment where Microsoft is the trusted gatekeeper, guard, watchstander, and ruler of all it surveys, thus turning the majority of computing users into unwilling corporate serfs and subjects of the Redmond Regime.

Isn't it ironic that the company responsible for nearly every major computer security problem, virus, and backdoor -- thanks to its poor software development and testing among other factors -- is now heralding its ability to make everything right in a stroke? One might sense this is a manufactured problem resulting from Microsoft's inability to develop effective software in the first place. As is commonly known, the single most significant factor contributing to the dismal state of today's internet security is Microsoft's complacency, rather than hackers, crackers, and pirates. As I mentioned in an earlier article, we're vulnerable because Microsoft makes it so damn easy for the bad guys to cause mischief. (It's also a result of lazy or incompetent system administrators, poor network design, and clueless executives and Congressfolk, but that's another essay.)

Contrary to Levy's fear-mongering remarks and naively positive spin on the need for Palladium to protect us, the Internet is not all evil. In fact, the Internet is safer than many parts of our physical world. It does, however, represent an evolution in social control, something that evokes fear in the hearts of established entities of such control: corporations, media, and governments. Hence the desire to trump up any number of reasons -- real or perceived -- to beguile the public and garner support for ways to maintain social control and profit margins at once. This technical tool of social control follows on the heels of the CBDTPA, TCPA, and DMCA, and other controversial legislative efforts.

As such, Levy's article is full of sensational soundbytes, including one particularly fear-mongering paragraph: "An endless roster of security holes allows cyber-thieves to fill up their buffers with credit- card numbers and corporate secrets. It's easier to vandalize a Web site than to program a remote control. Entertainment moguls boil in their hot tubs as movies and music are swapped, gratis, on the Internet. Consumers fret about the loss of privacy. And computer viruses proliferate and mutate faster than they can be named."

Vandalizing a website happens most often not because of the skills of the vandal, but rather a combination of poor system administration coupled with notoriously buggy, easily-exploitable Web site software such as Microsoft's Internet Information Server. From what I've seen over the years, you probably don't even need opposable thumbs to break into IIS. Palladium won't help here, but more competent system administrators and much more secure server software (such as Apache or WebStar) most certainly would.

Regarding the potential of stealing credit cards numbers, you've got a greater chance of losing your wallet or purse walking around town than a cyber-thief stealing your credit card from a webserver. What people forget in the hype is that despite the immense pain in the ass associated with canceling credit cards and re-authorizing charges on a new one, people are not responsible for losses over $50 provided they promptly report the loss to their credit card issuer. I've had my card stolen on-line, but I haven't run away in terror about the chances it could happen again. Again, Palladium won't be of benefit to me -- my credit card company already protects me and limits my liability.

Perhaps the most sinister part of Microsoft's concept (something that Levy glosses over) is that it "stops viruses and worms. Palladium won't run unauthorized programs, so viruses can't trash protected parts of your system." True, Windows-based viruses do proliferate and mutate quickly, but it's because Microsoft products are so interlinked and poorly-configured. If Microsoft would only allow users to display e-mail in plain text, ninety per cent of 'viruses and worms' would be eliminated. Yet to hear Redmond tell it, what we really need is some expensive and Draconian ghost in the machine to break applications of which the company, or its partners, or the government, or Hollywood, disapproves.

In short, under the feel-good guise of 'enhanced security' and 'new features for customers' (and despite being found guilty of monopoly), Microsoft still wants to rule all it surveys. In essence, Palladium can be interpreted as Microsoft's attempt to play God. Again.

With this announcement, Microsoft competitors and independent programmers should be gearing up for another court case, as this concept reeks of Redmond's historic anti-competitive tactics in the marketplace. Savvy consumers should be very concerned that Palladium will mean that their computers and information are no longer under their positive control but rather under the omnipresent surveillance and enforcement of a third party more interested in turning a profit than empowering their customers to think and act for themselves. The computer will essentially become a tool of surveillance, judgment and control over users, rather than a tool of innovation, communication, and enlightenment.

Given the pervasiveness of computers in modern society, the worldwide social ramifications of Palladium are enormous. Consider the ability of one entity -- in this case, Microsoft -- to dictate acceptable behavior and content (remember Smart Tags?) in service of its own commercial aspirations. If your behavior or actions are deemed 'unacceptable' by such a third party, you could find yourself impotent on the global stage. So you'd better toe the party line and be a good little Windows user.

Palladium represents a modern 'innovation' which could lead to a Digital Dark Age: a period of innovative stagnation where the majority of the world's computing population will become unwitting subjects and indentured servants to the profiteering desires of the new corporate ruling class, and Microsoft the enforcer.

One wonders if Palladium error messages will include a computer- generated audio clip of Bill Gates announcing, "I'm sorry [USERNAME], I'm afraid I can't do that....?"

The first step in any revolution is the seizure of the lines of communication to hinder the target population's ability to communicate and exchange information amongst themselves. Palladium has the ability to do just that, and convert the open fabric of the modern computing environment into a closed, proprietary domain under the rule of Redmond.

Under the Palladium concept -- despite the marketing spin and hype -- the danger is that you will be asked (though not directly) to pledge allegiance to Microsoft and its dismal record of security and reliability while unwittingly relinquishing your ability to remain an independent person in cyberspace. In essence, you'll go back to the future instead of forward to innovation and enlightenment.

Personally, I prefer being the one in charge of my computer and not subordinate to it or its vendors. I also prefer Camelot over Redmond...which goes a long way explaining why I don't run Windows.
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This is other microshit plan to make them control everybodys computer. Ok they will protect your computer(Yeah right every claim microsoft gave out was and never is going to be for filled. They just want to have altimate control. just imagine if they created a software for banks they could easly created loop holes and play around with people money. Computers will turn out rubbish if microsoft gets its hand on hardware.

[SpeeDFreaK]

I don't see how this could help them. To do half the stuff they want to, they would have to rewrite windows.

I know I'm feeding the troll here, but...

"An endless roster of security holes allows cyber-thieves to fill up their buffers with credit- card numbers and corporate secrets."

More of a network security problem...

"It's easier to vandalize a Web site than to program a remote control."

Wow, he must be the uber hacker! mabye he can hack the Kremiln's webpage!! BS.

"Entertainment moguls boil in their hot tubs as movies and music are swapped, gratis, on the Internet."

This isn't so much a Windows problem, more of a greedy fat bastards (hi Hilary Rosen!!  ) trying to keep a firm grip on what amounts to free expression problem. Internet radio was a threat to their influence on what music was whored on what stations. But that's a different rant...

"Consumers fret about the loss of privacy."

That's a windows problem, with all of the spyware and what not.

"And computer viruses proliferate and mutate faster than they can be named."

'Nuff said. Windows problem. Palladium sounds more like a Trojan Horse for Windows to own you and your PC.

[Calum]

i agree almost completely with Richard Forno (the author of the article).

Whether or not people say on these forums that none of this bullshit is relevant, it won't work like that anyway, it's just a tool to invade privacy et c, and while all those things may be true, the fact is that legions of dumbasses with deep pockets are going to go out and fucking buy this piece of shit.

Wait and see.

[Master of Reality]

quote:Palladium won't run unauthorized programs, so viruses can't trash protected parts of your system.

'unauthorized'... that must mean 'non-microsoft'.

[choasforages]

hahahaha this wont affect me directly. forever building my own systems, or by the time it comes out. ill have enough money to buy a mac. notice that mac is having a more aggresive ad campaign then i have seen before. i think this should be used as evidence against microsoft. controling both software and hardware. if we don't get rid of microsoft now we might never be able to. someone need's to ,as much pain as it would cuase, make an idiot linux, like one that calls root a dangeros tool that if used right can correct problems and if played with can trash the system. and that installs kde with idiot options. not lindows just pure linux. maybe i should do this but im no h4x0r, i can just bootstrap the LFS envirment. i can't build x or anything. i guess maybe if voidmain finnally tell me about compiling X. or howabout we all get up and help make an idiot proof linux.

[Calum]

what needs to happen is this:

someone needs to come out with a linux desktop environment that emulates windows perfectly. This includes not allowing you to do all the cool stuff that you can do in linux but not in windows. It also includes automating everything that windows automates, despite it maybe not working/being unstable and so on.

The next step is for some major distro maker (it should probably be red hat) to make an installer that's as assuming as windows' installer is. You need not answer any questions, you need not know anything. It will make assumptions about your partitions, the packages you want, everything. (this time, you can easily put it into "i know what i'm talking about" mode if you want at any time).

Finally, the new "dumbass" distro could come out with huge advertising and so on, with the dumb installer, and windows desktop by default. It would however come with a manual (this version would not be free to download since only the dumbasses would get it, and they all want to pay, or better yet, pirate) of course the new desktop and so on could be free (it gets paid for by the people who buy the new distro)

So, amongst all this, the dumbasses get linux, because it is as easy, does all the same things, and is cheaper (even though they still need to pay) now as soon as some moron sees some normal linux user, they will notice immediately that they are missing out on a lot of cool features. They will then go and find out that KDE, GNOME, Blackbox, XFce, windowmaker and so on were installed on their machine by default! wahey! they cry! i am free at last!

This is a good model for two main reasons:

1) the dumbasses do not lose anything because the new desktop will not demand of or offer them anything more than windows did. BUT they will eagerly switch to some real environment as soon as they get pissed off that other linux users can do a shitload more things than them.

2) the fuckers are all paying for it! (and even if they do 60% of them pirate it, so what?) so it's money rolling in to pay for development and advertising!

just my thoughts, butsomebody better get to work if this is going to happen.

[choasforages]

i can help manage the project, like make decisions on where it would be going and what to include and what no to include but i am not a major programer. is anybody else interested in this? first it would need a website but i can't even write http/*me likes c++ and calculator basic better*/i any one up for this project

[lazygamer]

How much you wanna bet that there will be hackers who join and BEAT the security on Microsoft's special service, just for the thrill of showing it can be done?  

Further making this a possibility is that Microsoft doesn't know how to program stuff that can't easily be defeated. You just expect them to magically learn this?  

[TheQuirk]

I'll make a site :-p and <i>try</i> to help. But I don't have alot of programming knowldge, although I am learning lately.

By the way, has anyone tried Sorcerer Linux? It's awsome!

[sporkme]

i agree that it really just amounts to another security hole, another update monster, another spyware front so they can endlessly process thier precious marketing data.

um... don't use it and tell people.

just look at all the said "dumbasses" (who won't be using linux anytime too soon) that rant and rant about the wonderful things microsoft has done for us all

if this sees the light of day en masse, it will be a sad sad day indeed... just say no

[lazygamer]

Not a bad idea. I would recommend that you charge no more then $35 American for it. Wind0ze is much more expensive, thus people have a reason to buy this distro.

Also, have the "Windows takes care of everything" aspect, except n00b Linux doesn't DUMBLY take care of stuff, the decisions it makes will not piss off anyone except a poweruser. So now critics can say "As friendly as Windows, no irratating MS shanigans(IE:Spyware or limited installs), way more stable then Windows, and is much cheaper to buy".

[sporkme]

for the record, i found red hat install pretty damned idiot-proof.

[Calum]

that's what everybody says, and that's why linux is not as widespread as it could be. M$ has such a market share that the installer and desktop need to look exactly like windows to get the morons hooked, regardless of what's going on under the hood. Of course it won't be full of spyware and all that shit, that will be the attraction.

People that find linux userfriendly these days are right, but they all took time to learn it. morons think they were born knowing how to work windows, and need something that panders to their inherent moronity.

[AlexMax]

Give it time.  There will always be way to circumvent ANYTHING made by microshit...

Heh....and microshit thinks that we are stupid...