Re: Microsoft have got to make PC users aware of the problem

From: Robert Moir (bofh_at_mvps.org)
Date: 01/29/04 

Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 18:07:32 -0000

Keith MacDonald wrote:
> "Robert Moir" <bofh@mvps.org> wrote in message
> news:ecEHAbm5DHA.2556@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
>>
>> Because
>> 1) they'd see a risk of losing customers to a competitor that was
>> less strict.
>
> True, but that loss could be traded against the risk of the additional
> resources imposed on your network when an unprotected machine gets
> infected.

Yep. But maybe ISPs have already done the sums for this game and arrived at
an answer that suggests leaving things how they are now is the best thing to
do.

>> 2) define "all security updates" for me. I mean, tell me how you'd
>> measure that, given that its easy to disagree over whether some
>> things are a security update or not.
>
> In Microsoft's terms, Critical Updates.

Ok, and given that Microsoft are not the only provider of operating systems
out there? Heck, I've got Mac OSX, Redhat9 and FreeBSD running on various
computers here at home, connected to the internet whenever they are in use,
in addition to Windows XP Pro and Windows 2003.

>> 3) Liability - if they don't do it, they can't be sued for doing it
>> wrong.
>
> Agreed, but having such a clause in a terms of use contract will raise
> awareness of the issue - which is my main concern. Anyway, rather
> than sue, the ISP simply needs to be able to pull the plug, once they
> detect that a customer's PC is misbehaving.

I believe they already _can_ pull the plug, but choose not to do so.

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