[CLUE-Talk] Microsoft incompetence of negligence?

[Dennis J Perkins]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34978-2003Aug23.html

This is an interesting article on the fact that says Windows is insecure 
by design.  While it can be argued that Windows users are responsible 
for applying patches, it can also be argued that it should not be 
necessary to apply so many patches, and on a nearly daily basis. 
 Besides, patches should be tested before applying them to a network of 
computers.  I suspect companies are starting to consider suing Microsoft 
after these last two weeks.  Never mind that the license says MS is only 
responsible for replacing defective CDs.  Microsoft has cost companies 
millions or billions of dollars in labor, lost sales, etc, because of 
the problems inherent in thier products.

It might also spur legislation limiting how much software companies can 
avoid liability.  This is unfortunate.  Hopefully such legislation will 
be balanced because the truth is that it is very difficult to remove all 
bugs from software.  Maybe software can be rated on the basis of its 
history, since it is impossible to rate it on bugs that have yet to be 
discovered.  But those bugs should give some indication to the quality 
of that software.

And maybe the govt should also mandate that any software it buys adheres 
to certain accepted open standards.  I'm not saying it needs to create 
the standards.  But I think that even MS would be forced to adhere to 
open standards or lose a lot of business.  And companies that deal with 
the govt would also want those standards.  It could be a chain reaction. 
Most of Micrsoft's profits in software come from its operating systems 
and Office.  Document and communication protocol standards weaken that 
monopoly.