Microsoft Pressures Testers After Software Leak 263
narramissic writes "ITworld reports that Microsoft is 'taking tough measures to find out who leaked a Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Windows Home Server to The Hotfix.net blog.' The software preview was posted on the site by a user named 'Richard' soon after it was released to a small group of testers. In an e-mail to MVPs whose names contain 'Richard,' Kevin Beares, the Windows Home Server community lead at Microsoft, wrote: 'For right now, you have no access to the beta until I can find the Richard who posted the WHS (Windows Home Server) CTP on this site.... I will work with the Connect Admin team to determine which one of you is the real culprit of this leak.'"
Prediction (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Prediction (Score:5, Insightful)
In fact, I'd probably think that a real Richard was less likely to have done this. But perhaps that's what Richard would have me think...
Have you read Slashdot before? (Score:3, Informative)
And you're wrong, there will be plenty of Microsoft shills defending Microsoft.
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To accuse someone of being a shill is a very serious thing. Please don't de-fang the word by broadening its meaning to include innocent fanboyism.
(If you really do think that there are dozens of paid Microsoft employees surreptitiously posting pro-MS comments, then your use of "shill"
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Which is odd, because last I checked my job involves selling groceries. And I'm a Mac user (albeit one who doesn't happen to think Bill Gates is some kind of anti-christ).
Re:Have you read Slashdot before? (Score:5, Funny)
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Or maybe your name is Richard !
Wheels within wheels, God how I love office politics.
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I meant to say "perhaps you are the Dick in question" !
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that's because... (Score:2)
Re: Richard = Dick (Score:5, Funny)
Msft: Who leaked this onto a newsgroup?
Lackey: The username on the account was "Richard."
Msft: Richard who?
Lackey: We don't know. The account name is just "Richard."
Msft: Suspend all priveledges to anyone with a "Richard" in their name!
Lackey: Sir, yes sir!
Msft: Man, this Richard guy is a real dick.
Lackey: *snickers*
Msft: What?
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The MS approach (Score:5, Funny)
{
ReallyUnluckyGuy.DenyAccess(Now);
ReallyUnluckyGuy.AskQuestions(Later);
}
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{
ReallyUnluckyGuy.DenyAccess(Now);
ReallyUnluckyGuy.AskQuestions(Later);
}
if( $_ =~
undef $tesers{$_};
}
}
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foreach (Tester ReallyUnluckyGuy in GetTestersByName("Richard"))
{
ReallyUnluckyGuy.DenyAccess(Now);
ReallyUnluckyGuy.AskQuestions(Later);
}
foreach( sort keys %testers ) { /^richard$/i ) {
if( $_ =~
undef $tesers{$_};
}
}
for( each in testers ) /richard/.test(testers[each]) ? PWN(testers[each]) : null;
x =
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Wow... (Score:5, Insightful)
Probably, at least. Granted, you'd think he was just being a Richard and it needn't have anything to do with his name, but think about--someone leaked MS's follow-up email to people named Richard. Might it have been the Richard we're looking for?
Re:Wow... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wow... (Score:5, Insightful)
To be fair, it isn't that hard for a Robert to type in Richard instead.
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Re:Wow... (Score:5, Funny)
This just in:
Real Name? (Score:2)
This is supposing a lot. I for one, would probably use the name of somebody I didn't like. Maybe something like Steve, or Bill. But that might be a little obvious, no?
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All I can say is... (Score:2)
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"These are not the Richards you are looking for"
You assume that, but where's the evidence? (Score:3, Interesting)
Based on the little that is known, the most obvious explanation is that this leak was intended to be discovered (there's no shortage of far more public sites that would offer far greater protection to the person involved) and that i
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Yes, and that really helped us track him down.
-Bill Gates
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That or Microsoft has never heard of pseudonyms.
Shades of... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Shades of...breadcrumbs (Score:2)
NOT a Model employee (Score:4, Informative)
I'd think that Microsoft's bigger question whether someone this dimwitted should allowed to work with their code. Why would I not be surprised if "Richard" really was the guy's name. Talk about poor judgment.
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I agree. He should have used the *full* name of another one of the testers.
Microsoft would be happy cos they'd have somebody to blame. He'd be happy because he doesn't get blamed. The poor sap that got blamed would be very unhappy.
- but that's just pure selfishness, since, as they say in Star Trek- 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.'
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Now they are really screwed... (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Now they are really screwed... (Score:5, Informative)
Of course all they can find out is who leaked the email, there is no reason the Richard who leaked the email is the same person who posted the bad review. My AdultFriendFinder name is Richard Steel, you won't find me in the phone book under that.
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That munges things up enough.
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grep /rich(?:ard)?|[dr]ick/ (Score:5, Funny)
Translation, "Are you the Dick who leaked?"
Because clearly he *must* have used his real name (Score:5, Insightful)
this is about as well-thought out as the no-fly list "algorithm". Well, Abdul looks a bit like Andrew so you're a suspect, eh?
If they didn't watermark, or put some other individual identifying marks in each of the CTPs handed out, then they have no clue who leaked it, and punishing the innocent is not going to improve their chances.
Dear Slashdot - Thankyou! (Score:5, Funny)
Thankyou for agreeing to help publicize our new products by spreading information about our phoney leak. You have my personal assurance that if we ever find this "Richard" character, I will be certain to punish him very severely for creating public awareness of our super-innovative new server software. Gosh, I do hope no-one downloads a pirate version and sees how awesome it is!
Also, thanks for your good work on the Xbox 360. Who would have thought so many Linux dorks would be willing to buy into our wall-to-wall DRM and platform lockin?
-- Bill Gates
(This is a private email, right? IE is doing something strange....)
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This should be interesting! (Score:5, Funny)
Oh...
Why Richard? (Score:5, Interesting)
Also, I wonder how he thinks he can work it out? Contacting the ISPs perhaps? (From the article it seems as if the webmaster for the site where the leak was posted will help.) I'm sure all the testers will deny being "Richard" of leaking fame.
This whole thing seems like a big beat up.
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Oh! I know! Call the ISPs pretending to be the testers and ask "did I post a CTP of Windows Home Server to The Hotfix.net blog?"
Next time try 'Bill' (Score:4, Funny)
Bill
Oh good, another reason to not work for free (Score:2, Insightful)
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Oh, yeah, because we know that when you pay someone, they don't steal. If you say, "play nice", they will. If you had a little pink pony...what planet do you live on?
When a guy at work is making $80K and stil
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here's an even simpler concept worth grasping: if you can't be trusted to respect the commitments you make you won't find a welcome among the volunteers who contribute to open source.
Jeez get A Clue! (Score:5, Funny)
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Nah. Communism was just a red herring.
Which one of you Bills? (Score:5, Funny)
It just occurred to me (Score:2, Flamebait)
Microsoft is being run by the Bush administration!
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I've seen far too many of these links on this thread. It now qualifies as spam IMHO.
-nB
Inside job? (Score:5, Interesting)
Inside job? I seriously doubt it. (Score:2)
Insiders doing it would probably have access to a great many test builds, not just the one sent to the externals. However insiders would also have fabulously well paid jobs and severe contractual penalties for doing something this stupid. Not the kind of people likely to risk all for a leaked test build.
Besides, what would be the career consequences for someone being denounced by Microsoft for doing a thing like that? The closed
Are they sure (Score:2)
Torrent? (Score:3, Interesting)
Not really news (Score:5, Funny)
That's not really front page news now, is it?
Borrow a scene from Spartacus... (Score:5, Funny)
Why bother? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not sure what all your "home server" does, but coming from you it probably uses far more hardware than most people want to buy for the purpose and it probably locks me into using one of your buggy, insecure operating systems to access it. Put another way, you're going to have a tough time convincing people who want to have a hard drive shared on the network (probably 99.99% of all people who would want a "server" in the house) to go with your buggy crap rather than the linksys router.
I might be wrong, and laugh at me in 10 years if I am, but I really think you guys are getting in a huff because someone leaked your latest "Microsoft Bob" to the world.
By the way, the people who downloaded it probably didn't do so to use it; it was probably most hackers getting their paws on it to figure out how to break into it.
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It'd be nice if yo
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So lucky for Microsoft (Score:2)
Meh (Score:5, Insightful)
It's great to know that a corporation always has plenty of funds for a witch-hunt even if product security is sacrificed due to "budget constraints"...
Witch hunt? (Score:3, Insightful)
Of course, this does bring out that simply having someone sign an NDA in today's climate means nothing. If you release a product to beta testers, they are going to feel free to distribute it to potential competitors worldwide without any fear of retribution. Why? Because it can be done and it isn't going to be traceable.
I suppose you could watermark each copy that is distributed. It would be a hassle to do and still probably not really mean all that much. Yes, you might then be able to visit some kind of retribution on the person that did it. Do you really think they are going to care? I think most people these days would regard having letters sent to their employer from Microsoft as sort of a merit badge of achievement, even if it got them fired.
Any sort of anonyminity will result in this kind of behavior. Most people - not everyone, but most - will do things they would never consider doing if they believe their actions cannot be traced back to them. Would you rob a bank or steal someone's wallet? Most people would not. Would you pick up a wallet in an alley that was clearly abandoned and take whatever was inside? Most people would if they were sure nobody would see them. Nobody sees you on the Internet, and the ISPs believe they have an interest in keeping users isolated from consequences of their actions.
An understandable Response (Score:4, Insightful)
The typical Microsoft=Evil bash aside, their response was rather understandable and logical. They have beta-software, and they have low number of people who a previewing/testing that software. That software ends up leaked on the internet. Thus the only logical conclusion is that (at least) one of those people is responsible for the leak.
Assuming that leaks is not what you want and that somebody who leaked software before, will do so again, it is best to freeze the entire process until the one(s) responsible has been found. Also assuming that they accepted a NDA (the usual stuff forfeiting your propery, soul, and firstborn) this one guy or gal will not be in a happy place.
So, all in all, its nothing extraordinary.
WHS? (Score:2, Funny)
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WHS:
Intended for users who have never seen or touched a server OS.
Redundant storage and hot pluggable drives for those for whom RAID is an insect spray can.
To add storage just slip in another drive and you are good to go.
Automated backups for every system on the net. Recover older versions of files. Single instance storage
Re:WHS (Score:5, Interesting)
Yeah, that's the supposed Idea. I remember when they pitched that line for NT, too.
"Redundant storage and hot pluggable drives for those for whom RAID is an insect spray can."
If you don't know what RAID is, why would you bother specing a home-pc with hot swappable drives?
"To add storage just slip in another drive and you are good to go."
Yeah, assuming you got a server chassis with hot swappable drives. Which, by definition, the end-user this is targeted at doesn't.
"Automated backups for every system on the net. Recover older versions of files. Single instance storage"
Yeah, that's a good pitch, too. So far? Vapor-ware!
"Remote access and administration. Remote control over the web --- again, intended for users who have no experience in any of this."
Oh, there's a security hole just waiting for a portscan to come along!
This is aimed at Fanbois who just don't have the brains to make the leap to Ubuntu or Fedora.
IOW, A cute toy.
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Is it really such a wise idea to let that sort of people out o
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Want to save some power, desk space, and money on hardware?
http://www.simpletech.com/commercial/simpleshare/ [simpletech.com]
Here is a Linux package without the bulk and power requirements of a PC. The wall wart to power it is rated at 36 Watts max. It provides disk encryption, user based or share based access control, SMB and nfs. With the addition of external USB drives it provides RAID mirroring and striping. If you don't use RAID, it c
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At the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week (see my special report), Microsoft previewed its long-awaited Windows Home Server (WHS) product, a Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based server for consumers that dispenses with the complexities of most Windows Server versions and provides the core storage, sharing, and remote access functionality that digital media and home networking enthusiasts require. - Paul Thurrott http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/whs_preview.as p [winsupersite.com]
I'm sorry, but this OS sounds like a stinking pile of M$ Bob manure. Anyone with an inkling of familiarity with *nix already has this and more for a lot less. Heck it's so bad, I think Microsoft would be better off not exposing it's customer base to this market. The Home server is so easily replaced by a more powerful/flexible Linux implementation that Microsoft is effectively putting a stock '71 pinto in the Indy 500, it's sad, nothing else.
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Maybe, I mean why would Microsoft create a Windows Home Server other than to compete with *nix/BSD where it's been done for years.
Repeat after me "Microsoft is not an innovator", again "Microsoft is not an innovator", one more time "Microsoft is not an innovator", do you get it yet?
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1) Single instance store automatic differential backups. none of this shitty "dd" stuff; this compares each 4 kb block with a database on the server and only uploads ones that have a different hash. Very efficient and very nice.
2) Automatic warnings if any Windows machine on your network has AV or AntiSpyware turned off.
3) Automatic warnings if any of your machines has not backed up in the last several days. (and the software will wake machines from sleep mode to do the backup and
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I'm sorry this does sound kinda cool for a Windows environment, but in the Linux world, WHS looks a day late and a dollar short.
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So cron and tar now have single instancing across various computers? Oh, I thought not.
WIM is a mashup of existing technologies reformulated in to a proprietary format, nothing else. Cron and tar is what I called a hack, I use it for the most important stuff like /home and /etc. I don't need some fancy image space saver because there is never duplicate files in my backups each only backs up what was modified since last week, really simple actually. Just three backups of the stuff most likely to break for the past three weeks.
If they have 3rd party software that works fine too. Mine has McAfee (came with it) and that AV and Anti Spy works fine with it. So do all the others.
Fair enough, but what if I have systems that don't run AV or an
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Sort of like rsync, bacula, amanda?
2) Automatic warnings if any Windows machine on your network has AV or AntiSpyware turned off.
With *nix, we have essential services started automatically at boot time. I'd be interested to know if it checks for Microsoft AV and antispyware
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You mean like when you have to turn off "OneCARE" because it won't allow Flight Simulator X to install on Vista. I thought my DVD was bad, but turning off OneCARE fixed it and allowed it to install.
You'd think OneCARE would have at least some smarts on not virus checking an MS DVD.
Stupid Vista. It's now been erased and replaced with Ubunutu 7.0x Feisty.
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I don't like Microsofts usual business practices, but this looks cool.
I have a very similar setup already but it wasn't "simple enough for Mom" to set up, and I don't have the server warning me about Antivirus or spyware. I think there will be a market for something like this as long as Microsoft isn't too greedy with their pricing. I highly doubt that home users would even consider using a linux server for this job, but I also think that home u
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I don't think people will be foolish enough to break their NDAs on
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A GUI that's forced on you to take up valuable resources. And sound effects!
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:-P
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