Morro - missed opportunity?
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 18:57
I enjoyed RB113 as usual, but throughout the Stuart Strathdee interview on Morro I was waiting for the 64,000 dollar question, but it never came: if Microsoft are serious (as Suart claimed they were) about providing something that will make a difference to the millions of malware infected PCs, particularly in the developing Asian economies where pirating is rife, why don't they ditch the Microsoft Genuine (dis)Advantage requirement? Otherwise, instead of being to-Morro, their new baby will forever be yesterday.
Regards - Philip
I suspect they will, once all their customers and the media keep at them for a while.
It used to be the case that "non-genuine" Windows PCs couldn't even get automatic security updates. These days if a Windows installation fails the WGA test it *can* still get critical security patches through automatic updates... That's been the case for a while now...
The reason MS did this was to reduce the number of vulnerable boxes out there to make a more secure "ecosystem". I think some security guys in Redmond really had to fight for that decision, too.
I suspect we'll see a rerun here.
The reason I didn't ask the $64k question, by the way, is because I simply wasn't aware that non-WGA PCs wouldn't be able to get Morro... guess I didn't do my homework!
If that is the case I agree with you -- it's all well and good for MS to bleet on about saving the world from vulnerable machines in the third world, but honestly, unless they actually make this tool freely available to all and sundry it's just lip service.