More Headaches from Vista Security 240
Michael Cooney writes to tell us Windows Vista may have some serious headaches in store for corporate users with third-party authentication systems like VPNs. From the article: "ISVs say rewriting their code for the new architecture will produce headaches that will extend to their customers that have deployed strong authentication such as biometrics or tokens, enterprise single sign-on and a number of other systems integrated with the Windows authentication architecture."
Somewhat redundant (Score:5, Interesting)
The more interesting question (imho) is why Microsoft abandoning GINA since "the company had started talking about it at its Professional Developers Conference last September."
Re:Another day, another microsoft problem (Score:5, Interesting)
Interesting.. (Score:3, Interesting)
On the other hand it's true than the winlogon stuff in Vista Beta isn't entirely complete, and consequently I have to wonder what Microsoft mean by 'beta'? When I (and lots of other people) release a beta it's basically feature-complete and API-locked, but isn't entirely tested
As for MS GINA being dropped
Re:Problem Solved (Score:4, Interesting)
In other news, random Slashdot user creeves1982 blurts out the usual Slashdot banality about Linux.
It's not so simple and you know it. You can use Linux. I can use Linux, but many MANY people can't use anything but Windows, because they're not computer-oriented, have been trained with Windows-XX and Word/Excel-YY and wouldn't conceive anything else exists, must less be able to use it.
That's how the world is. Microsoft is still the biggest OS and software vendor in the world despite its many shortcomings and its outrageous economic practices because the Windows userbase is massively reluctant to change. The real challenge is to make Linux truly as user-friendly as Windows, and to get users to discover it and get used to it. Simply saying "use linux problem solved" is childish.
Re:Good! (Score:3, Interesting)
And when you say "forced" you mean "go out and buy themselves". And when you say "new Microsoft apps" you mean "new Microsoft apps released 5+ years later".
Re:goodbye SecurID, VPNs, etc. (Score:5, Interesting)
Never said it (they) did. Actually if you look at your direct quote from my post, I used the term "paradigm". So, in that context, let me expand a bit: the paradigm was very much an assumption, one machine/computer, one user, hence the bizarre logical drives, all accessible to all levels by all users (by default at least -- yes, that's now changing, welcome to century 21).
As for intent, I was on the original NT Beta support team at Microsoft (there were 16 of us), and after walking in the door, I immediately began asking for information on setting up my machine with a multi-user configuration. The team treated me like I was some sort of nut case -- they emphasized multi-user meant multiple users could access services on one machine (file services, not new in NT though, etc.), not multiple users logged onto one machine.
They were barely comfortable with the notion of more than one user ever using one machine, even one user at a time!
As for all of this being a hack, you are absolutely right. I would actually probably be less adversarial with Microsoft if they were more candid about things like this, but to read their literature, they concede nothing, ever. (For example, the initial security access levels "rings" in the NT kernel were elegantly designed and promptly trampled to allow performance by granting direct video hardware access to non-privileged code -- go figure.)
I joined Microsoft in 1992 excited about being a part of what I thought was a sea change in their OS direction. I left shortly after when behind closed doors I discovered it was a facade designed to show Microsoft was ready to play on the same court with the big boys (namely, Unix). Unfortunately, they weren't. Unfortunately, they got away with it. Unfortunately, even today, they don't stand up to hardened Unix systems (they're closer than ever, but still not there).
Re:Fortunately, there is a solution (Score:2, Interesting)
Everything about Vista (Score:3, Interesting)
It still seems like Me revisited.
Re:At this point... (Score:3, Interesting)
I seem to recall someone had written a prototype virus within 24 hours of the first beta being released, which caused Microsoft to drop the advanced scripting they had planned.
I'd try and find a reference but I really can't be arsed. Vista won't be out until next year and by all accounts it's going to suck just as badly as any previous version of windows. Dapper Drake will be out next month and it's going to rock! I've been running it since flight4, it was awesome even back then and it just keeps getting better.