They should have been doing this years ago
Given the complexity of the modern Windows operating system today, such a tool would have probably saved us all a lot of trouble.
Developers, developers …. *&^%%!!# developers who break Windows! That may well be a refrain that motivated Redmond to release a new software tool, Surface Analyzer 1.0, which explains how new apps impact Windows’ ability to repel the various varieties of naughtyware. Microsoft explains the tool’s powers thusly: Attack …
"Given the complexity of the modern Windows operating system today, such a tool would have probably saved us all a lot of trouble."
Given the tools that gave us Windows operating system such tools could probably have saved us all a lot of trouble. - that's sorted that then !
Now; I'm not denying that this is a useful tool and I fully agree with Stuart up there (+1 on its way after this).
But isn't the timing a bit odd?
I mean.. We could have used this years ago. But the upcoming future (as seen by MS) gives us development tools totally focussed on Metro, a Metro Office and (this is important): the fact that Metro by itself is basically a locked down environment. I think the latter is a very positive Metro achievement, but all the collateral (software only through marketplace) isn't.
So I don't quite get it. Metro was locked down from the getgo, its by design.
Could it be that MS is feeling the heat after all and are now releasing tools to secure the desktop app. best as possible?
Yes, because as the school kids keep telling us, Linux and programs running on Linux have never, ever had any single security issues in the entire history of it's existence.
That's why there isn't a single website on the whole of the interwebs where these security holes are highlighted. That's why, when I search for "Linux Security" there isn't a single result returned.
Can we have a muppet icon please?
Oh BTW I use both.
I have a better 2 line bash script:
read -p "You have downloaded this program from the Internet. Do you want to run it under your current login permissions? (y/n)
[ "$REPLY" == "y"] || echo "Step away from the computer. Now."
I have a four line version that asks for the root password too. ;)
"Not that I'm calling you an idiot or anything"
Because that would be rude. ;)
"if you visited http://web.nvd.nist.gov and searched for Linux in the vulnerability database and then searched for Windows you might come to your own conclusions about idiocy..."
Just did a search on "Linux" and "Windows" exactly as asked, for the last three months to get an up to date feel for things. Got 119 results for Linux, 143 for Windows. They look in the same sort of region to me. But I suppose it is a small difference so you're right, I guess. MS are indeed better at finding and identifying vulnerabilities than Linux.
Do you see how statistics are dangerous without examination? I'm not even saying that the above interpretation is right, I'm just saying that without careful examination, the simplisitic search doesn't show what you want it to say, and it most certainly doesn't counter my own point which was that the vast majority of security failures are due to the user, not the software and that this is true of Linux, Windows or Mac.