* Odd plans and upcoming betrayals from Redmond
Small businesses have little choice but to play the Microsoft game, no matter what the cost in time and money. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it. Here’s what Microsoft is about to do to us – let’s see if we can bob and weave and miss getting stabbed in the back.
First up: FUD. Bill Gates threw down the Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt gauntlet at Mozilla.org’s Firefox Web browser the other day. Don’t switch from Internet Explorer (IE), he told users, we’re going to update it any day now.
Hidden agenda: Because Microsoft said there’d be no IE update until the release of the next operating system (Longhorn) still 18 months away, people (25 million and counting) started using Firefox. Many love it (I’ve been using it for two years) and keep IE loaded only to view Web sites too stupid or lazy to support all their customers.
Then earlier this month Microsoft announced it would ship a stand-alone version of IE. A week later, it changed its mind. Remember when Microsoft executives swore in federal court there was no way to separate IE from Windows? Oops. Since court documents have this nasty habit of showing up on the Internet, Microsoft took a mulligan. What we meant, execs said in their do-over, was stand-alone inside a security patch update.
Then came the rest of the story: The upcoming IE update will be for Windows XP Service Pack 2 updated machines only. Hey, Windows 2000 users, update to XP if you want the IE upgrade
My advice? Keep using Firefox and avoid the vast majority of spyware. On my machines running Firefox, the only spyware I find all comes through IE holes when I use IE on lousy Web sites.
This brings us to the large spyware problem in general and what Microsoft is doing specifically with its acquisition of the Giant anti-spyware application company. Supposedly, more than 5,000,000 beta anti-spyware downloads are cleaning computers as we speak, says Microsoft. The company was so proud. At the RSA Security conference, Bill talked about giving the final version away free: https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2005/0215rsa-gat.html
Oops again. According to rumors, Microsoft says it can’t give away this software because that might be a monopolistic activity and get it in more trouble with the government. Microsoft and the Justice Department have a meeting planned for late February.
This smacks of a vendor refusing to fix products under warranty because that takes business away from repair shops. We have so much spyware because Microsoft made a design decision years ago to allow programmers access to Windows and Office program application interfaces to add features their more secure competitors (like WordPerfect) couldn’t match. Now closing those holes would be an abuse of power? Has Alice run through here chasing a white rabbit?
What will Microsoft do with its anti-spyware software? I bet it will give it away free with new volume-licensing agreements, the dangling carrot of spyware protection hiding the stick of more software restrictions and annual fees.
My advice? Use Firefox to avoid most spyware; get away from Outlook and Outlook Express for e-mail to avoid worms; and don’t open DOC files from outside until running them through virus and worm check software. More on your e-mail options soon.
