Re: Beating Up On Microsoft...

From: Gerard Marshall Vignes (gerardvignes_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 09/18/03 

Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 02:02:15 -0700

Every American Software Company and Independent Contractor will one day risk
being held liable for damages and economic loss resulting from avoidable
defects in their software products. That day has not yet arrived, but it is
coming.

If it did happen today, the wave of litigation could get out of hand and
drive many American Software Companies and Independent Contractors out of
business.

We should begin preparing for the day when customers will be allowed to sue
for damages caused by what they consider to be neglect on the part of
software vendors and practitioners.

Our customers expect this of us. They do not care about techno-religious
debates. They do not care who is to blame.

We have got to see past our differences and start presenting a common front
that protects our customers and our ability to sustain a healthy American
Software Industry for decades to come.

If antivirus software is necessary, then customers should get that same
urgent message from all software professionals without hesitation or
qualification. "Which" antivirus product is open to debate, but the "need"
for antivirus software is not. The same is true for firewalls, security
updates, best practices and anything else that we can agree is important.

We need to speak with one voice.

My initial argument, which appears to have fallen by the wayside, is that WE
ARE NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH in what we insist are essential steps to be taken
now.

     The Internet is a hostile environment.

     More measures must be taken to protect commercial activity, business
assets and individual rights.

     Unless we close ranks and make a credible, forceful case for these
measures, they will not happen quickly enough.

    "We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang
separately." -Benjamin Franklin
    Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft
Corporation. All rights reserved.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Gerard Marshall Vignes

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Beating Up On Microsoft...
    ... >> Every American Software Company and Independent Contractor will one day ... >> that protects our customers and our ability to sustain a healthy American ... >> If antivirus software is necessary, then customers should get that same ... >> assets and individual rights. ...
    (microsoft.public.security)
  • Re: Beating Up On Microsoft...
    ... I'll try again in 10 years, once the Internet has outgrown its lawless ... > Every American Software Company and Independent Contractor will one day ... > Our customers expect this of us. ... > "We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all ...
    (microsoft.public.security)