Microsoft to Clean Up Code

the_pooh_experience writes "Microsoft has decided to beef up their security group by adding a code cleaning group according to Infoworld. As the director of MS security engineering says: 'Microsoft is a long way from its ultimate goal where users can take security for granted in its products...the majority of viruses written attack Microsoft products.'" The new group is called Security Engineering Strategy and while it may seem long overdue to many, it's still a step in the right direction for the folks in Redmond.

in a nutshell

[nounderscores]

Microsoft is going to hire testing programmers?

It could work..

[Mr2cents]

.. but only if they clean up the bugs, and not the patches.. (Hey? what's this if-clause doing here? There is no such thing as a negative packet size!)

job security

[eternal]

thats a job that will never go away

Re:Port to Java!

[DShard]

They have. It's called J#. It's microsofts answer to a question nobody asked.

Yeah, I can clean it too:

[Skweetis]

# dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda bs=512

Seriously, though, this is a good step for them, and I hope other software companies follow their good example.

Insightful?

[Anonymous Coward]

Try (-1, Tinfoil).

Some name suggestions..

[jkrise]

"The new group is called Security Engineering Strategy"

A weak name, I suppose. Some suggestions:

1. Next Generation Secure Computing Strategy.
2. Social Engineering Strategy.
3. Brainwashing Services (BS, for short).
4. Severe Acute Repair Services Group (SARS group)
5. Purity Enhancing Networked Information Services. (figure it out)

Re:Poppycock.

[Anonymous Coward]

TCPA^WPalladium^WNext Generation Secure Computing Base.

vi commands are not known by your browser. Please use backspace.

You Cannot Clean The Code..

[Gaggme]

..you can only realize the truth, that the Windows codes is the virus.

Re:more of the same

[Martigan80]

Actually this was in itself a security leak, the matter is being looked into.

In other news,

[Sevn]

Farmer John has decided to close the gate after all
the horses have run away.

Re:I'm suprised...

[Lord_Slepnir]

They do, but some times a clean compile just isn't enough of a code audit.

Re:more of the same

[JayJay.br]

Might be the 6th initiative. But don't worry, they're goin to get back to the source, and Zion will be destroyed again.

No kidding!

[ackthpt]

more of the same lip service from our friends at Redmond. is this the 3rd, or 4th 'security' initiative?

NEWSFLASH!: Microsoft invents quality control! source code reveiw measures, internal cooperation among units, standardized enterprise wide security measures! Patents soon to follow!

It certainly makes me wonder what the hell they've been doing all these years, besides making gigantic amounts of profit...

Oh... right, less money on development costs == more profits. Now I see why Steve Ballmer and Bill have been selling off so much stock.

Re:Slashdot's Microsoft Obsession

[krystal_blade]

Look at this story...what's really that new or interesting here? This looks like just another opportunity for slashbots and "M$" haters to get their kicks.

You're new here, aren't you?

krystal_blade

Suddenly it all makes sense now

[TheConfusedOne]

1) UNIX IP License.
2) Plan to clean up code.

All they have to do is start swapping files. :-D

Re:Brainwave at Microsoft..

[jkrise]

The Code Cleaning group has come up with a brillinat idea! Instead of releasing buggy code and fixing it with Service Packs later, the new technique is to release Service Packs first... typically in the form of leaks. Once this is done, then the 'previous' versions are leaked. After a while, the code reaches the users.

This way, users are sure to get fully patched OSes from day one. Similar strategies are being adopted by anti-virus s/w writers as well.

Re:I'm telling you again - Hire Theo.

[Daniel Phillips]

What Bill should do is contract Theo de Raadt of OpenBSD. He has to be one of the lord high masters of code cleanup in the whole world. Pay boffo bucks, send a Gulfstream to get him and give him some Bill face time.

Knowing Theo, he'd tell billg to get stuffed.

its easy

[azoidx]

cat bad_code.c |grep -v getchar > good_code.c

Re:in a nutshell

[walt-sjc]

You're thinking of the OTHER Bill.

OpenBSD + Windows

[revividus]

OpenWindows?

Doesn't sound too secure...