Microsoft stops new work to fix bugs
Posted by configure on 03 February 2002 - 11:46 · no comments & 99 views
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Microsoft Corp. today announced a month-long moratorium on new coding as part of its Trustworthy Computing Initiative, said Richard Purcell, director of the company’s corporate computing office. “We are not coding new code as of today for the next month,” Purcell said at a privacy and data security summit in Washington that was sponsored by the Corporation of Privacy Officers.
Instead, the company is going to go over its old code as a first step in cleaning out bugs. Purcell likened it to a 20-year spring cleaning. “It’s time to get the garage cleaned out,” he said. (Ok, this might explains why Powertoys was pushed back -Ed)
Describing the state of computing today as unstable and unreliable, he said Microsoft chairman Bill Gates “is really annoyed by the incredible pain we put everyone through in computing.”
"We're not sure what it is that makes some Morpheus members vulnerable to this," said one, who asked to remain anonymous.
"Potentially this could make every user's computer available to anyone who wants to have a look at it.
"All we know is that there's a major gap that's allowing certain users to become vulnerable."
The group contacted BBC News Online out of concern about the privacy implications of the security hole.
"It's definitely an accident from Morpheus' side, probably a worm. This is very dangerous."
Napster was shut down by an American court last July for breaching music copyright.
Morpheus is at present legal because there is no server storing the digital files.
Music fans swapping MP3 files are put in direct contact with each other.
The Recording Industry Association of America, which spearheaded the fight against Napster, is reportedly looking at ways it can tackle these new methods of file-sharing.