Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows

So what do we think of this?

• 
  Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
  Includes an option that locks-out IT personnel
  
  By Ina Fried
  CNET News.com
  
  Published on ZDNet News: April 26, 2005, 4:00 AM PT
  
  SEATTLE -- In a move that could rankle privacy advocates, Microsoft said Monday that it is adding the PC equivalent of a flight data recorder to the next version of Windows, in an effort to better understand and prevent computer crashes.
  
  Click here to read the entire story.

Thoughts, anyone?

 

I, for one, welcome our new computer overseers.

(offline, my response would be different)

 

IF (Microsoft isn't reading this post)

THEN
"If you believe that then your dumber than a hunk of mud in a bathtub.";

ELSE IF
"Hail Microsoft, our beloved leader, thank you for caring so selflessly about our woeful computer problems.";

 

I guess I don't see the problem here. If it is up to the user to purposefully send the information, and the computer belongs to the user, then so what? If it is set by a company's system policy, and it is the employers computer, then so what? If I am screwing off on ESPN on the company's time, and they want to monitor that, shame on me. It doesn't seem like an invasion until the data begins to be transmitted without the express consent of the computer owner.

I've worked at MSFT off and on for many years, and so I know better than to just trust them. But I guess if someone doesn't want this feature bad enough, they will go buy a copy of RedHat Linux.

 

They can call it whatever they wish but it sure seems to me to be yet another ploy to intrude on the /lusers .

Surely the 1000's of PCs running in the M$ offices can be used for debugging rather than shoving it down to the consumer, n'est pas?

Let's not forget the good ol' M$ Slogan of:
It's not a bug, it's a feature.

..and the peasants rejoice..

 

In fact, yes. I would recommend switching to this new operating system. Tiger will be released in 3 more days.

 

At this point, I think it is a non-issue. They are just extending their GUAT (global user acceptance testing) environment, that is all. In the article, they note, “For consumers, the choice of whether to send the data, and how much information to share, will be up to the individual.".

Has anyone ever seen a core dump from a unix / linux machine? - same amount of data capture, its just now you have the option to send the date to MS in a more verbose manner. (old core dumps are security hazards and should be removed from the system).

Someone on the thread mentioned knoppix, although meant for CD operation only; it can be used nicely as a local install. I will continue to use several flavors, including MS as my OS.

 

The problem is that the majority of casual users won't have a clue what information is being sent. I would rather my operating system didn't collect information.

It seems like this will make it harder to figure out where sensitive data is kept on your hard drive. Will it log me entering my credit card when I purchase something on the Internet and will this information be left sitting on my hard drive for a period of time?

I'd rather they build an operating system that doesn't crash instead of logging the data on my machine to see why it crashed. They have been doing this for a couple years and you would think that they would have this down to a science by now.

 

While I don't agree with the "Windows phone home" backdoor policy. I do believe that this, if 100% user or "IT Manager" controlled, could be a great tool to debugging and testing.

Any individual that uses company computers to watch ESPN videos, play online games, surf for new jobs or have private conversations via email or or or ... needs to realize that they are not living/working in an anonymous environment and that their actions can/should/will be monitored or controlled.

At home ... that's something different.

Brandon