[ale] [ISN] Microsoft to reveal Palladium source code (fwd)

[Joseph A Knapka]

Jonathan Rickman wrote:

<quoting a CNET article>
>
> During testimony in the antitrust case against Microsoft, Jim Allchin,
> senior vice president for Windows, said that any remedy that required
> the company to reveal the operating system's source code would
> strengthen hackers' and virus writers' ability to circumvent
> protections.
> 
> "The more creators of viruses know about how antivirus mechanisms in
> Windows operating systems work, the easier it will be to create
> viruses or disable or destroy those mechanisms," Allchin testified.
>
</quote>

The interesting thing about this statement it that, while
it would be absurd if said about an open-source product, it's
*true* where M$ is concerned. Opening the Windows source *would*
give crackers etc insight into potential vulnerabilities. And
so what if it also gives the world the ability to find those
problems? It's still the M$ drones who would have to *fix* them -
M$ is not going to let just anyone build and distribute Windows
kernels. And given that they've presumably had access to the
source all along and not bothered to audit it or fix those
vulnerabilities, why would we expect them to do so just
because the source code was opened to the public?

-- Joe
   "Watch out / you might get what you're after."
   -- Talking Heads, "Burning Down the House"

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