Holy Freakin' Crap #2

This story and this story add up to big trouble for Microsoft. Although the public at large think the continuing court case is (depending on who you ask) either over already or irrelevant, the fact of the matter is that MS are not doing very well, and if they lose this one there will be major changes for PC users and everyone else affected by MS, which means virtually anyone less isolated and technophobic than the Unibomber.

The first story (from Reuters by way of Yahoo.com) tells how Judge Kathleen Kollar-Kotelly is going to allow James Bach, a former MS contractor, to demonstrate what MS claims is impossible -- a modular version of Windows XP with features removed. What's more, he did it using MS's own technology -- a version of XP called XP Embedded that allows niche developers to customize Windows so it works better in limited or custom environments (such as ATM machines, for example) where the bloat of all those "bonus" features can't be utilised.

Bach claims his version of XP is stable and robust (which will come as a shock to users of the rather buggy XP Home Edition) and will demonstrate it in court May 15. Mark your calendars to watch the media fireworks and PR spin after that happens. As if that wasn't bad enough, the demo will come after MS has rested it's case. This move clearly caught MS by surprise, and having the judge allow it is a huge tactical victory for the states, and gives some indication that Kotelly may favour the states' plan.

The second story covers this too, but then goes on to talk about today's ludicrous testimony from top MS barking dog Jim Allchin. Allchin (who really should know better) swore in court today that if MS shared it's hidden APIs and other information about how Windows actually works with (gasp) Windows developers, that security would be compromised. He painted a picture of virus writers, pirates and hackers running amok.

Yeah, that's why there's so many viruses that only attack open-source software. That's why MS wouldn't dare do something as crazy as use a poorly-modified version of Kerberos, an open-source security standard, to beef up their horribly insecure OS. That's why Apple and others, who do not hide APIs from developers and base their OS on open-source code, have the same hideous reputation for complexity and vulnerability that MS does. Geek community to Allchin: Riiiiight. At least he admitted that MS "needs to work on their reputation for security in the marketplace," which must be the understatement of the year.

All this on top of an earlier story where MS admitted in court that IE6 does in fact overrule customer preferences and often plays media files using Windows Media Player even if the user has specified something else.

The sad part of this is that if Enron executives got out there and admitted similar sorts of anti-competitive tactics, they'd be burned alive at the stake by angry consumers and competitors, instead of just being drawn and quartered by angry stockholders (who will probably never get the chance to do either). But since it's MS, and we're all completely dependent on them, we sort of shrug and kinda wish they'd reform themselves, but can't bring ourselves to care enough to really punish them. We -- as a society -- are rapidly becoming pathetic in our inability to care about much of anything. Cynicism is fun when it's just you and your friends (I try to be cynical, but I just can't keep up), but as a model for society behaviour it's pretty ugly.