Microsoft shrugs off MyDoom attack

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Many posters don't see the point...

Is MS a money hungry monopolist, convicted of crimes for which they haven't been properly punished? In my opinion, yes. Do they create often substandard software, riddled with flaws? Again, I'd say yes. Still, have they also done a lot of good for the computing community? Obviously they have, even if it wasn't for the most altruistic of reasons. Many people have usable PCs because of DOS and Windows. MS made them affordable and manageable, even if not always easy to operate. For all of the Mac's advantages, I personnally wouldn't have be able to afford one for years after I bought my first PC. When I was in college, a Mac was just out of my price range. And Linux-based machines still have a ways to go before the average person can use them without support (although that day may have come much closer in recent years). The majority of people still just want the computer to work, at a price they're willing to pay. This business of "my OS is better than yours" is meaningless to them. And everyone marketing (or pushing) desktop OSes needs to remember that. Particularly when they try to sell to the masses.

But all of that misses the point. What these hackers have done hasn't accomplished anything positive. They made a statement, but I doubt that they've convinced anyone. Does anyone really think that people who supported SCO or MS have now decided that they were wrong to do so? If anything, they're more likely to feel put upon and circle the wagons. I wonder how many more copies of AV and firewall software have been downloaded or sold as a result of MyDoom? So all they've probably done is pushed people further into the MS camp. I can't imagine that showing SCO's Web site vulnerabilities has changed anyone's commitment to Linux.

So, ultimately, the hackers have just vented their frustration. If anyone here is really assuming they actually did it for positive reasons and not just to cause mischief. In the process, they've tied up bandwidth and PCs, made it harder to get information and generally inconvenienced people. All without changing anything in a constructive way. So all they are is low-grade terrorists.

And to Mr. Sskcat, innocence and guilt is all a matter of degree. It isn't absolute. We are all "sinners" in some way or another. Carelessly opening an attachment or using a particular OS may be foolish, but it shouldn't be a punishable offense. No one else has the right to attack others for some slight, real or imagined. I know that it's often done, but that doesn't make it acceptable (on a scale small or large). To suggest otherwise is reprehensible.

Posted by: mds_z   Posted on: 02/04/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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