BS From Every Side

It seems that a lawyer and future Republican candidate for the Illinois governorship, thinks Microsoft's Windows operating system is so bad, the company should be legally barred from selling it unless the operating systems come with a full warranty against security flaws.

Get real. No OS is 100% secure, nor will one ever be. While I expect I will never have a reason to buy Windows, unless it is part of an emulation package, I can't see where Andy Martin is getting his ideas. He claims that MS pushes a shoddier product onto the market than any other company in the U.S. could, but whether or not that is true, suing to block the release of the next generation of Windows is assinine.

Now, I did say "from every side," so let me quote here the MS response, as it appears in the above linked article:

Building confidence and trust in computing continues to be one of Microsoft's top priorities and is crucial to the success of the technology industry as a whole. Over the past three years, Microsoft has implemented a range of new security programs, including the Security Development Lifecycle, which has resulted in measurable improvements in the security of Microsoft's software."

Huh? That's a response? That's a promo for a program with more glittering generality than apparent substance to its name. That's a 15-second spot on a third-rate cable network, and one that is only to be aired between 2 and 5 a.m., along with infomercials and Hardy Boys rerun.

I'll keep my eyes on this case, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will (rightly, in my view) get thrown out. Somehow, though, I don't think that winning the case is what Martin and The Committee to Fight Microsoft are all about on this point.