That’s all well and good, Duane, but the thread concerned Access, not Windows. Kerry Kean www.ohiopianotuner.com <http://www.ohiopianotuner.com/> _____ From: Duaine & Laura Hechler [mailto:dahechler at att.net] Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 7:16 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] Database for Piano Business Things the general public need to know about Microsoft and Windows! Last modified 06/02/09 First and most important: All of the following are well documented information that has been given to me from emails or other sources. The following are explained in my own words and are not direct quotes from the sources. They will be listed in random order. I will try to list at least one documented source. * 06/02/09: Did a Google search on the keywords 'Microsoft' and 'lawsuit' or 'lawsuits' and got 2,767,000 hits. WOW! * <http://www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com/other/Bill%20Gates%20House.flv> Bill Gates' Estate - Here is what you have been paying for all these years !!! This is the actual virtual tour created by the architects for Bill Gates himself. * Linux Netbooks Impact Microsoft Sales - 10/24/08 <http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/24/linux-netbooks-impact-microsoft-sales/> http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/24/linux-netbooks-impact-microsoft-sales/ * Microsoft Gives OEMs XP Downgrade Disks for 6 More Months - 10/03/08 <http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151858/microsoft_gives_oems_xp_downgrade_disks_for_6_more_months.html> http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151858/microsoft_gives_oems_xp_downgrade_disks_for_6_more_months.html * Microsoft Back Peddles On Windows XP Use - 09/05/08 <http://www.lockergnome.com/blade/2008/09/05/microsoft-back-peddles-on-windows-xp-use/> http://www.lockergnome.com/blade/2008/09/05/microsoft-back-peddles-on-windows-xp-use/ * Intel to Microsoft: Vista? No Thanks - 06/30/08 <http://blogs.pcworld.com/tipsandtweaks/archives/007185.html> http://blogs.pcworld.com/tipsandtweaks/archives/007185.html * Intel Backstabs Microsoft by Abandoning Vista (Intel has decided it won't upgrade its PCs) - 06/27/08 <http://www.pcworld.com/article/147678/intel_backstabs_microsoft_by_abandoning_vista.html> http://www.pcworld.com/article/147678/intel_backstabs_microsoft_by_abandoning_vista.html * Microsoft offers cash to searchers (who use a special version of its “Live Searchâ€) who buy (make the online purchase) - 05/23/08 <http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/services/2008-05-21-microsoft-cashback-live-search_N.htm> http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/services/2008-05-21-microsoft-cashback-live-search_N.htm * XP SP 3 crashes AMD machines - 05/09/08 <http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/09/xp-sp3-crashes-amd-machines> http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/09/xp-sp3-crashes-amd-machines * Schools body backs EU probe of Microsoft - 05/13/08 <http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/13/html-test> http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/13/html-test * Eurocrats hit Microsoft for $1.3 billion - 02/27/08 <http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/27/european-commission-fines> http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/27/european-commission-fines * Microsoft blocks YouTube links - 05/12/08 <http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/12/microsoft-blocks-youtube-links> http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/12/microsoft-blocks-youtube-links * Vista seems to block some TV shows - 05/14/08 <http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/14/vista-blocks-tv-shows> http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/14/vista-blocks-tv-shows * Revealed: Ballmer's original keynote [Opinion] - 04/22/08 <http://www.crn.com.au/News/74463,revealed-ballmers-original-keynote.aspx> http://www.crn.com.au/News/74463,revealed-ballmers-original-keynote.aspx * Microsoft: Vista feature designed to 'annoy users' - 04/11/08 <http://www.news.com/Microsoft-Vista-feature-designed-to-annoy-users/2100-1016_3-6237191.html> http://www.news.com/Microsoft-Vista-feature-designed-to-annoy-users/2100-1016_3-6237191.html * Windows is 'collapsing,' Gartner analysts warn - 04/10/08 <http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9076698&intsrc=hm_list> http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9076698&intsrc=hm_list * Ditching Vista: How To Downgrade To Windows XP - 01/29/08 <http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=IGYOFZYD5EGTAQSNDLRSKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=205101355> http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=IGYOFZYD5EGTAQSNDLRSKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=205101355 * Microsoft slapped with record EC fine for 'unreasonable' patent charges - 02/27/08 <http://www.forbes.com/special_contributors/2008/02/27/microsoft-eu-fine-tech-cx_pco_0227paidcontent.html> http://www.forbes.com/special_contributors/2008/02/27/microsoft-eu-fine-tech-cx_pco_0227paidcontent.html * Judge greenlights lawsuit against Microsoft: A US judge has given the go-ahead for consumers to file a class action lawsuit against Microsoft for providing misleading information about Windows XP computers being able to run Vista. - 02/25/08 <http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/02/25/microsoft_vista_capable_lawsuit/> http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/02/25/microsoft_vista_capable_lawsuit/ * All about Microsoft Litigation <http://www.groklaw.net/staticpages/index.php?page=2005010107100653> http://www.groklaw.net/staticpages/index.php?page=2005010107100653 * David Letterman's airing of Microsoft's Celebratory Retirement announcement of Bill Gates (FUNNY) * Microsoft Issues Big Load For Patch Tuesday - 02/12/08 <http://www.crn.com/security/206502170> http://www.crn.com/security/206502170 * Microsoft Once Again in EU Legal Crosshairs - 01/15/08 <http://www.crn.com/software/205800388> http://www.crn.com/software/205800388 * Windows Server 2008 Domain Re-Directs To Apple - 01/30/08 <http://www.crn.com/software/206100702> http://www.crn.com/software/206100702 * Say It Ain't So: Bill Gates Quits Facebook - 02/12/08 <http://www.crn.com/software/206501828> http://www.crn.com/software/206501828 * Microsoft Exec: 'We Really Botched' Vista Campaign – 02/12/08 <http://www.crn.com/software/206502112> http://www.crn.com/software/206502112 * Samba Team Receives Microsoft Protocol Documentation - 12/20/07 <http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2007-12-20-025-26-NW-MS-LL> http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2007-12-20-025-26-NW-MS-LL * One Service Pack Too Many? - 12/12/07 <http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/vista/one_service_pack_too_many.html> http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/vista/one_service_pack_too_many.html * What Went Wrong with Windows Vista? - 12/06/07 <http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/vista/what_went_wrong_with_windows_vista.html> http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/vista/what_went_wrong_with_windows_vista.html * The October 2008 timing sets the agenda Microsoft isn't yet talking about: Vista successor Windows 7 - 12/06/07 <http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/developer/its_a_date_pdc_2008_late.html> http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/developer/its_a_date_pdc_2008_late.html * Will the Vista Migration Path Become the Road Less Traveled? - 12/04/07 <http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/distros/60585.html> http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/distros/60585.html * Five Ways Linux Is Better Than Vista - 08/25/07 <http://www.crn.com/software/202101693?queryText=linux> http://www.crn.com/software/202101693 * Vista Still Plaguing Some HP Printers - 05/09/07 <http://www.crn.com/hardware/199500125?queryText=linux> http://www.crn.com/hardware/199500125 * Review: Move .NET Apps To Linux - 04/23/07 <http://www.crn.com/software/199100694?queryText=linux> http://www.crn.com/software/199100694 * Microsoft Loosens Grip On Vista Enterprise Licensing - 04/02/07 <http://www.crn.com/software/198701816?queryText=linux> http://www.crn.com/software/198701816 * Apple Among First-QUarter Winners, Microsoft Among The Losers - 03/29/07 <http://www.crn.com/software/198701816?queryText=linux> http://www.crn.com/software/198701816 * A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection - 01/19/07 <http://seclists.org/isn/2006/Dec/0107.html> http://seclists.org/isn/2006/Dec/0107.html * IT Confidential: Microsoft Is Mired In Vista, Report Says - 12/11/06 <http://www.crn.com/it-channel/196602971> http://www.crn.com/it-channel/196602971 * Microsoft's backs Novell's Linux platform - 11/03/06 <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061103/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_novell> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061103/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_novell * Hell freezes over: Microsoft, Novell partner on Linux - 11/02/06 <http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS2912974320.html> http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS2912974320.html * Surprises in Microsoft Vista's EULA (End User License Agreement) Introduction: <http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/11/02/1751222.shtml> http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/11/02/1751222.shtml Article: <http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/420> http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/420 * It turns out that Microsoft's Genuine Advantage anti-piracy program is also keeping daily tabs on Windows users. Who knew? - 06/10/06 <http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6544431885.html> http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6544431885.html * Is Gates' retirement Linux's chance? - 06/21/06 <http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS3436284810.html> http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS3436284810.html * By Stephen Shankland Staff Writer, CNET News.com Google has hired the lead programmer of the Firefox Web browser, the newest step in the search engine powerhouse's encroachment on Microsoft's turf. Ben Goodger announced Monday on his blog that he took a job with Google on Jan. 10. The move is the latest of several that are fueling speculation that Google plans its own Web browser. Ben Goodger Firefox, which has cut into the dominant market share enjoyed by Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, is a variant of the open-source Mozilla browser project begun in 1998 by Netscape Communications. Despite no longer being employed by the Mozilla Foundation, "my role with Firefox and the Mozilla project will remain largely unchanged,"Goodger said on his blog. At Google, Goodger will continue work on the browser. Since the release of Firefox 1.0 in 2004, he's been focusing on "successful 1.1, 1.5 and 2.0 releases," he said on the blog. Among other clues pointing to browser interest at Google are the registration of the gbrowser.com Internet address, the hiring of some key programmers, and sponsorship of a Mozilla programmer meeting. Even without a browser, Google is involved in significant competition with Microsoft. Both companies are working on desktop search tools, and Microsoft is pushing its MSN Search service as an alternative to Google. Firefox also has a built-in search box that offers Google's search engine as its default option. Goodger himself complained about Microsoft's software in a December posting on his blog. "I've set up a new personal e-mail address, and as soon as I can figure out how, I will make it so that it cannot receive e-mail from Microsoft Outlook users. Why? Because Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express are the unsung security hole in most people's systems," the posting said. "Microsoft would like you to continue not to think about your software and continue to use theirs, paying what amounts to extortion fees on ISP filtering solutions." Goodger's hiring at Google this month explains a Jan. 22 blog posting in which he said he had just returned to Firefox 1.1 development after being "incredibly busy this past two weeks taking care of some important matters." He indicated earlier in the month that he hoped the version would be released in March. According to the plans published on the Firefox Wiki page, version 1.1 is called Deer Park. Plans for that new version include tools to help users of several Mac OS X browsers move their settings to Firefox. Also being discussed are localization ideas to make Firefox better able to work in multiple languages. Version 1.5, called The Ocho, is slated to get improvements in accessibility and for use on large groups of computers. Planned version 2.0 features include improvements to tabbed browsing, password management, software updates, software downloads and performance on Apple Computer systems. * Microsoft is chopping off their foot again. It seems in there incredible wisdom to upgrade Internet Explorer 7.0 for only Win XP users through Service Pack 2 (SP2). So users and businesses using Windows 2000 are going to be left out to hang. (02/16/05) http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1765331,00.asp?kc=ewnws021605dtx1k0000599 * In the beginning, how 'Windows' got started. Despite the efforts of the PC makers to stay with DOS, Microsoft pressured them to install Windows. In some reports, Microsoft would even put 'agreements' on the makers that they would have to pay for each copy of the windows operating system, whether or not they actually install it. <http://www.wsws.org/news/1998/apr1998/ms-a15.shtml> * Microsoft has just come out with another software tool: Malicious Software Removal Tool designed to remove specific, malicious software from your system. BUT, guess what, it is another form of invasion of your privacy. In fact, the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), question 20 stated that information is reported back to Microsoft. What information they specifically don't say. However, in questions 21, it states that, supposedly, you can turn it off. (Trust it - that is your call). <http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=050124RN-KB_890830> * When Windows XP (Home and Professional) first came out, I learned that if you watch a DVD from your system, it will, over the Internet, call back home (to Microsoft) and tell them what you just watched. In my opinion, this is invasion of your privacy. * When I was still working full time in the IT field, we used to get the updates/fixes (Service Packs) on CD and install them when we had a chance. Now, you have to request a CD or install the Service Pack online - download over the Internet. Now for the non-computer savvy person, let us review what a Service Pack has to do. In order to download and apply the correct parts of the Service Pack, it has to know exactly what the configuration of your system is - how much memory is installed, how much free disk space you have, what all software you have - Microsoft and 'third-party', what printer you have, basically, everything about your system. At first glance this sounds very innocent but in reality it is another form of invasion of your privacy. After it finds out all the information, it downloads what it needs to apply to your system. Again, no telling what the Service Pack is doing under the covers - sending information back to Microsoft - maybe - maybe not - 'we, the public' will never know for sure. * Microsoft hides behind Linux. Some of you may have heard about Linux - an operating system that is in competition with Windows. In fact, Microsoft sees Linux as a direct threat to the longevity of the Windows operating system. BUT, with the recent outbreak of worms and viruses (August 2003), it has been found out that Microsoft is hiding behind the operating system that they consider a threat - Linux. Microsoft's servers are hiding behind Linux servers used for web caching services. Meaning your requests go through a Linux server before it gets passed to their web servers. <http://www.aaxnet.com/editor/edit033.html> * Gateway wanted to allow the inclusion of an option to install alternate internet browsers on the systems. Microsoft's heavy hand would not let them do it, so Gateway sued. <http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayNew.pl?/petrel/980608np.htm> * Microsoft is using Sun's Servers running Sun's operating system Solaris to run Hotmail.com email service <http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=6900> * Some of you may have heard of IBM's OS/2. After Microsoft broke away from IBM on the project, IBM kept going with it and had plans to make it a very aggressive competitor against Windows. After gaining major ground and becoming a serious threat to Microsoft, they put a plan in place to stifle development on the platform. They forced software developers to sign agreements that if they wrote software for the Windows platform, they could not write (or port) the same software to any other platform. So after the OS/2 software market not gaining any ground, IBM decided to throw in the towel and starting to drop support of the product. * “Cyber War†(May, 2003) PBS's Frontline ran a show on cyber warfare the week before last. Interviews with former White House cyber czar Richard Clarke, former DEPSECDEF John Hamre, a professor from the Naval Postgraduate School (who talks about offensive measures used in Kosovo and Afghanistan), the former director of the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center, Microsoft's head of "trustworthy computing", and others. Interestingly, the entire broadcast is available in multiple video formats, in six segments (about 55 minutes total), here: www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/ Transcripts of the complete interviews used to build the show are also available. Opinions on the seriousness of the threat range from very serious (Clarke, who also warned about Al Qaeda long before 9/11) to "weapons of mass annoyance". Hamre struck a balance, and is probably the most thoughtful overall, though not entirely comforting. >From the interview with the unidentified "hacker"/consultant (SCADA is an acronym for systems control and data acquisition devices used to control/monitor pipelines, electrical power grids, etc. ): The reason that SCADA is particularly dangerous is that SCADA is a standard approach towards control systems that pervades everything from water supply to fuel lines. The problem is that most SCADA systems are running Microsoft operating systems, and if you are running a Microsoft operating system, you have a target painted on your forehead. What do you mean? Out of the box as a basic install or even with a sophisticated system operator, making Windows secure -- any of the Windows varieties, Windows NT or Windows 2000, which are your common SCADA platforms -- is an incredibly sophisticated and complicated task. It is not the kind of thing that you can do easily or simply, and it is not the skill base normally available to a low-end infrastructure job. It is the kind of skill base that's available at the high end of the transnational. It's the kind of thing that we bring to the table and that Joe Power Supply Company doesn't have available to them. The National Security Agency, the U.S. agency responsible for protecting the cyberinfrastructure, has many, many hundreds of pages of how to close the security holes in Windows NT. I mean, it's a huge volume of material. But the knowledge it would take even to follow their step-by-step instructions is very, very high. And so the number of vulnerabilities are extreme and the knowledge base necessary to protect it is too much for your ordinary group. So is Microsoft a problem or is it part of the solution? Microsoft has very bad system design regarding security. Microsoft knows this. It's a directive now right from the very top at Bill Gates to try and find some way to solve the problems that Microsoft has regarding security. The problem runs in when you are in a monopoly position, such as Microsoft is, as the dominant operating system not just in the United States but around the world. It's why other governments other than the United States are moving to other standards other than Microsoft. They recognized that Microsoft is a national security threat to their economy by the very fact that when you buy a computer it comes with Windows installed, and most people don't know what to do after that. So what these people do is they take their computer home and they plug it into the network, and then somebody like me can then break into that computer and turn it against anybody anywhere else in the world. Even if it's got a firewall? Trust me, there is no measure built into Microsoft Windows that keeps somebody like me out. Firewalls do not protect you. ... I can tell you professionally, inside the computer security industry, firewalls are referred to as "speed bumps". The electrical grid -- if you wanted to jump into a SCADA system, how long would it take you? Penetrating a SCADA system that's running a Microsoft operating system takes less than two minutes. Are other systems more secure? No. But again, this is where you're dealing with the issue of monoculture. Once you're into the box, though, then you have the question of what do you use? Right. I know for a fact this has occurred in the past, that SCADA systems of critical infrastructure have been broken into. The hacker who broke into them had no idea what they were looking at. To them, it was just one more insecure Windows box. And then, it was used for whatever purposes that you would use an insecure Windows box for. The fact that it was a controlled system for something very complicated and dangerous to play with was not understood by the person who broke into it. (Or, as the security advocates say, "If you need effective fences or walls, who wants Gates and Windows?") -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20090918/afdd69e3/attachment-0001.htm>
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