Re: Support the Sasser-author fund started

[Stormwalker <bruen () host49 duncable cust sover net>]

Hi Shane,

  A little correction in history:

On Mon, 17 May 2004, Shane C. Hage wrote:
> I agree with most of your statements below.  However, with competing
> operating systems such as those you mentioned below plus OS/2 and Apple
> Macintosh in the 1980's, the business leaders and consumers chose Windows.

  They did not choose Windows. They chose small, relatively cheap 
  machines,  which eventually offered them applications like Word and 
  Excel. It was the applications, not the OS that made the difference.

> I think people forget that Microsoft must have filled a gap that these other
> operating systems didn't.  How can we blame Microsoft for capitalizing on
> the need at the time?

   No, you can't blame them for capitalizing, but their earlier greed and 
   lack of understanding of how grown up operating systems work has 
   caused problems that persist today. 
 
> When the Internet revolution started, there was no way to predict the
> magnitude that a malicious program could have across the world.

   Yes there was and people so. The Morris worm (pre 1990) was a good 
   demonstration of how  would work. The Net did not really take off until 
   '95 or so, about the time BillG started to notice it. 

> Sure, Microsoft is playing catch-up with security.  They are just 
> filling the gap in their own products now.

    Gap, like the Grand Canyon is a gap in the landscape :)

              cheers, bob

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