[triadtechtalk] XP Misunderstandings (was: Re: This...& WIN XP)
- From: RPRKOCVGGPED@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- To: triadtechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 13:48:07 -0700
From: budge@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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> --reply triadtechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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> *** Triad Tech Talk
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OK, there are several misunderstandings here about WinXP. Rather than reply
to the email step by step, I decided to address the points, rather than the
individual lines.
1. Windows XP will give Microsoft access to your computer.
Yes and no. And so does Linux, BSD, all varieties of UNIX, Win2k, etc.
First of all, to get it out of the way, there is Passport. This is a product
which XP works with and promotes, but which you can simply refuse to use. It
will allow you to store your personal information on the Internet, on a
supposedly secure server, run by Microsoft, so that any website that uses
Passport can be given the information when you request it. Thus, if I go to
www.buyeverything.com, and they have Passport, instead of typing in my name,
address, credit card number, etc., I simply have Passport give it to them.
This is _not_ Windows XP, though XP does promote it. Simply refuse it when
offered. I will.
Now comes the evil "they can control your computer" ability, Remote Access.
Remote Access is a feature that allows Microsoft techs, or hackers, or
anyone at all, to access your computer. It is found in Windows XP, Windows
2000, WinNT Server, Linux, FreeBSD, virtually every variety of UNIX since
remote login became feasible (and is one of the original reasons that UNIX
was designed), and almost all modern OSes. It is _not_ a Microsoft idea; it
is something Microsoft _needs_, or they wouldn't remain competitive. Their
competition already has this feature.
It is part of Windows XP, yes. So is File and Printer Sharing. It allows
people to get into your machine. So does File and Printer Sharing. It _could
be_ a severe security hole, _if_ you install it and improperly enable it.
Just like File and Printer Sharing. And just like almost every other serious
competitor available today.
It does not install automatically. It does not give away access unless you
tell it to. It is, essentially, the same access supplied by other OSes, and
which people demanded to have in Windows.
2. Windows XP requires a subscription.
False. Windows XP does _not_ require a subscription to be renewed. _Office_
XP requires a subscription renewed every two years, but not Windows.
It is true that Microsoft is only leasing you the software. This has been
true of every version of Windows to-date, and most versions of MS-DOS. It
was decided in court many years ago that if they sold you the software, you
were allowed to change it in ways that the manufacturer didn't approve of.
Therefore, most shrink-wrapped software has, for some years now, been
licensed, not sold. You don't own Windows XP, but then you didn't own
Windows 95, or Windows 3.1, or MS-DOS 5 either.
It is also true that Microsoft doesn't allow you to give away or sell your
old software. This is a serious concern for some people. However, it is not
the same as a subscription that has to be renewed every two years.
3. Microsoft could hold your documents hostage.
In theory, yes, they could do this. They could change their data storage
formats to be so proprietary that nobody else could use them, exactly the
opposite of the trend that has been running now for the past several years.
They could then make your data inaccessible to you. They could, of course,
have done this with _any version of their software released since day one_.
If they did this, the crash would be spectacular, as would the lawsuits. The
DOJ would try to get involved, but they'd be too late. Microsoft stock would
fall through the floor and the stockholders would throw out the management.
Microsoft would be destroyed. BillyG would not only be looking for a new
job, he'd lose many billions of dollars, and would be facing bankruptcy due
to personal lawsuits aimed at him, alleging severe mismanagement.
But it _could_ happen.
But, again, this is not Windows XP, it is Office XP, or Money XP, or some
other product that actually creates and edits these files. Windows XP does
not change the file formats used by your software or your documents.
David Nasset, Sr.
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