I, Cringely | The Pulpit

"After years of watching their customers suffering billions of dollars in losses caused by security problems, why is Microsoft suddenly changing? Why now? The analysts and pundits are saying this is Microsoft's response to negative news that might have eventually affected sales and some just see it as a public relations move. I'd say that rather than a marking a real change, this announcement is more a matter of executing a strategy that has been coming for a long time. It is neither a response to the insecure nature of Microsoft products or a PR move. Rather, this is Microsoft's new way to get us all to buy more stuff."

I have to say I don't entirely agree with Bob this week. Well, OK, Microsoft IS trying to make us buy more stuff, but I think the new security commitment at Microsoft (and it IS real) is actually motivated by the embarrassingly bad PnP loophole. They quite simply realize that bad security practices are no longer acceptable. It's too bad it took a massive outcry to get to that point, but there you have it.

As usual of late, Bob moves on to a discussion of his .NET paranoia, which is interesting in its own right.