October 28, 2004
Gates on IE, antivirus
Steven Levy's "Technologist" column in the latest Newsweek magazine includes comments from Bill Gates about spam, security and related issues. One passage in particular stands out:
I asked him about the recent drop in market share for Microsoft's Explorer browser -- though the downturn is slight, it's significant, since some prominent critics are advising people to use alternatives because of security concerns. His reaction was unyielding: "Internet Explorer is going to be the primary browser used on Windows, and anyone who suggests otherwise is just irresponsible." But he concedes that it's "a very fair question" to ask why Microsoft does not offer antivirus services, forcing users to seek other providers.
The "irresponsible" quote is notable, given the impending release of Firefox 1.0 and speculation about a possible Google browser. But the antivirus quote is also interesting in the context of the dilemma the company faces in deciding whether or not to bundle its planned antivirus product with Windows.
Posted by Todd Bishop at October 28, 2004 08:41 AM
Microsoft: "We will bind the shell to the Internet Explorer, so that running any other browser is a jolting experience."
CERT Security Warning:
Computer Emergency Repsonse (homeland security) advises you to not use IE.
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/713878
SANS:
SANS 20 Worst Security Problems include Outlook and how to remove it.
Appendix A: A High Priority Bonus Item for Windows Users and Administrators: Various Scripting Holes in Internet Explorer and Office2000 http://www.sans.org/top20/top10.php
Bill Gates: "When a Unix brand would get a bit better than the other on a particular thing, the others would "conspire" behind its back to bring it down."
http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=8448
Bill Gates / Microsoft is our enemy and want to take your choice away from us. As they do this they make us insecure and open to attack by rushing code out the door and not caring anything about how stable, secure, or how tight the code is, only their market share.
...anyone who suggests otherwise is just irresponsible.
Anon
