all the credit, none of the blame
|
| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| gus3 Nov 18, 2007 7:46 PM EDT |
I wrote the following in Oct. 2002:
--------------------------------------
Legally, the very products that Mr. Allchin oversees are extremely risky for a customer to use. The operating system manages everything on the computer, and hence the danger of damage caused by any bug increases by several orders of magnitude. If someone wants to audit the OS source code, rather than trusting someone who says "it's stable," they can choose Linux, the *BSD flavors, and the Debian GNU/Hurd, plus some of the commercial Unix brands. Not only that, the patches and bug fixes are also available for scrutiny before installation. Given the track record for bug fixes out of Redmond (NT4 Service Packs, anyone?), I dare Mr. Allchin to admit that his product is in severe need of public scrutiny. I know, it's unlikely to happen. The sad reality is this: When you buy Windows, you are giving Microsoft all the credit for your system's good performance. However, if an upgrade wipes the screenplay you spent three years on, and the backup as well when you try to recover your files, the blame you can place on Microsoft is limited to the purchase price. If you attempt to hold them accountable beyond that, you will be told that "you must have done something wrong." For any legal action, the burden of proof (at least in the USA) is on you, as the plaintiff, to prove that their product was defective. Without the source code, how can you do that? They've taken steps to make sure you can give them all the credit, but very little of the blame. http://gus3.typepad.com/i_am_therefore_i_think/2002/10/manda... |
Posting in this forum is limited to members of the group: [ForumMods, SITEADMINS, MEMBERS.]
Becoming a member of LXer is easy and free. Join Us!