It’s Anti-Microsoft Day at Barbelith Towers today, as completely spontaneously I have come across several pieces of information about the many-splendored Macro-Company that have caused me to feel little white-hot daggers of outrage course through my body.
If you feel the same way about these stories, and all the other weirdnesses that Microsoft have done, make it Anti-Microsoft Day all over the web by putting this little banner on your site with a link to your favourite example of their bloody stupidity.
- Microsoft versus Slashdot [Wired]
Less than 24 hours after I am singing Slashdot‘s praises, I stumble upon an article which says that they are being savaged by Microsoft. And I quote: “Microsoft ordered Slashdot to delete discussions of one of the company’s security products – Miller said he has not deleted the 11 messages that Microsoft claims are illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and is waiting to hear from legal counsel and readers. The response from Slashdot regulars was fast and furious. In the first hour, hundreds of readers weighed in, many condemning Microsoft’s action as another example of the company’s desire to crush free-wheeling discussion in general, and the Linux community in particular. “No matter what Microsoft threatens, no matter what they say, do not give in to them. This is not because it is Microsoft, but because free speech is far too important, especially on a forum such as Slashdot. Give them hell,” wrote one respondent.” - Microsoft Security Great Big Joke [Peacefire.org]
And the irony of it all is that on pretty much the same day, a huge and alarming security issue was revealed about Microsoft’s implementation of cookies. An article at Peacefire.org revealed: “By intercepting a cookie set by HotMail, Yahoo Mail or any other free Web-based email sites that use cookies for authentication, the operator of a hostile Web site could break into a visitor’s HotMail account and read the contents of their Inbox. (HotMail cookies do not contain user passwords, but they do allow a third party to access a user’s HotMail account for as long as that user stays logged in, since each separate login generates a new cookie.)” and “A user’s Amazon.com cookie could be used to visit Amazon.com impersonating that user, and access their real name, email address, and the user’s list of “recommended titles” — which can be used to determine what types of books or CD’s the user has purchased from Amazon in the past. (You cannot, however, access the user’s credit card number or their actual list of previous Amazon.com orders, since accessing this information requires a password that is not contained in the cookie.)” See also: Slashdot |
CNet |
Newsbytes |
MSNBC.
[Current participants in the May 12 Anti Microsoft Day: Wanderlust, bluishorange, Dakota Smith (Shameless Self-Promoter), Atesque, L N B B, thegardencafe.com, she says, FrogBlog, Haiku the Blog, linkmachinego, gaylery, L/noleum, Zippyblog, Rasterweb, Golb, Digital Asylum] [People who think I am full of shit and don’t understand that the odd gesture of teenage rebellion never did anyone any harm, even though most of us are using Microsoft products: Ed’s Weblog]