We Have Met the Enemy and ...

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"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.
Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." -- Sun Tzu

I have no issue with people who want Microsoft (and others) to make full disclosure about "Stuff" they do (or don't do) with your PC when you subscribe to Windows Update and similar services. That's just good citizenship to me.

But it's possible to go overboard on this vigilante stuff. Here is an example:

Microsoft updates Windows without users' consent

This guy is basically making a big hullaballoo about Microsoft wanting to update Windows Update itself, in order to make it better and fix any bugs, but he's making it sound like it is some sort of "Stealth Install" that violates your privacy rights. Then at the end, he tells you not to roll back any of the updated files. Umm, who's kidding whom, pal?

Oh, and here's another on eWeek from another Linux fanboy who's simply parroting the first guy and then mindlessly embellishing it. Yikes! Wait a minute --look at the file extension on that page! These guys are still running Classic ASP? Jeesh! What about LAMP, already, if we gonna promote Linux Desktop? Oh, the hypocrisy! It's just never-ending. These guys aren't experts --they're advertising sponsor whores! The first guy's junk made me choke on my fyookin' bagel and I almost forgot my mantra, d00d!

The first guy also quotes a conversation with PSS which proves this is completely innocuous:

"7.0.6000.381 is a consumer only release that addresses some specific issues found after .374 was released. It will not be available via WSUS [Windows Server Update Services]. A standalone installer and the redist will be available soon, I will keep an eye on it and notify you when it is available."

What's our problem here, "Windows Secrets" -- don't have anything really relevant to write about, so you have to resort to scaring people with "fake news"? Less is more, d00d. If you can't come up with something intelligent and useful to write, then don't write anything.

Get real. Maybe the New York Times will give me a "family discount" on a full page ad...

Peter has been active on the C# and other MS newsgroups, has had samples at gotdotnet.com (now codegallery.com) that have been downloaded over 56,000 times, and has written numerous articles for eggheadcafe.com, for which he is a co-founder, and MSDNAA sites. He has also been a technical reviewer on books from Prentice Hall, Manning and other publishers. Peter was a Microsoft MVP for 10 years. Peter was born and raised in New York City, and after a stint as a jazz musician playing contrabass with the Robert Hunt Trio, migrated to sunny Florida, where he was hired as a rookie Financial Consultant at Merrill Lynch in Orlando, specializing in Corporate Services. It was at Merrill that Peter realized computers and technology were his forte. He spent his last few years at Merrill developing real – time computerized trading and and stock charting program using advanced technical analysis indicators, some of which are his own inventions. In 1997, he moved on to architect and serve as lead developer on a number of innovative web-based and middleware solutions for the healthcare and financial services industry.

Comments

  1. Anonymous2:01 PM

    MS is really starting to piss me off with these automatic updates without my permission. I tried to sign into MSN last night and it tells me that I MUST (gasp!) upgrade to a newer version in order to continue using it. I almost fell off my fucking chair. Well guess what, I switched to Skype and told MSN to kiss my ass. If they want me to do the same to Windows, then they shall keep it up!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. peterbromberg5:45 PM

    You tell 'em fanboy! I'm not there yet, but in fact I believe they've cleaned up their act quite a bit, at least as far as Windows Update.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous4:22 PM

    I agree. I can recall waking up, roaming to my computer, and being presented with the windows logon screen, thinking to myself "what in the hell". Sure enough, once I got signed in... "Your Windows has been updated [...exclusively without your permission, please enjoy the issues you are about to encounter]"

    Haven't had that happen in quite a while, but the fact that it HAS happened still bothers me. I can somewhat fathom installing the updates automatically, given that they are absolutely critical, but restarting my computer for me? Thats like a kick in the nuts!

    ReplyDelete
  4. peterbromberg7:09 PM

    Don't know if that's the best approach. I use the "Notify me but don't install" choice. This gives me time to look over KB numbers and see if any other poor slobs have been clobbered and ranted about it on their blurgs.

    ReplyDelete

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