Given Microsoft's past history I'm much more concerned about the possibility that they'll screw it up and lock 80% of the planet out of their computers :-) Seriously, when I look at the half-baked security measures that we take as a society I can't see people getting real interested in secure computing. Does the current social security number scheme make sense to anyone? Yet we readily accept the possibility of identity theft and adverse privacy issues rather than having a system of strong personal authentication/identification. Credit card companies explicitly accept, and we consumer implicitly accept, a level of credit card fraud rather than add tighter security that might make credit card transactions less convenient for us and less profitable for them. As soon as Microsoft explains that it will cost us $9.95/month per CPU for them to effectively administer our home systems I suspect most people will balk and the whole thing will go away. --rick Mark Browne wrote: >I am forwarding this message because I see the problems outlined in these >links as a clear and present danger to the continued existence of Linux. > >Mark Browne > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >----------------- >"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve >neither liberty or security." > - Benjamin Franklin > >"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security >will deserve neither and lose both." > - Benjamin Franklin > >Franklin's dire warnings are soon going to be tested under the guise of >"virus free" secure computing and "SPAM free" secure internet access. >Unfortunately, these initiatives will converge into Big Brother a la George >Orwell's 1984, which was just twenty years ahead of its time. > >Here is an interesting articles on the dangers of secure computing and >secure networking: > "The Digital Imprimateur -- How big brother and big media can put the >Internet genie back in the bottle", by John Walker (the founder of AutoDesk >and creator of AutoCAD): > http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/digital-imprimatur/ > >Here is another interesting article on related subject matter: > "I Told You So -- Alas, a Couple of Bob's Dire Predictions Have Come >True", by Robert X. Cringely (author, and host of several PBS specials): > http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20020627.html > >Beware of the Secure Computing Initiative... > > > >_______________________________________________ >TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota >http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org >https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > > _______________________________________________ TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list