Another interesting detail from the analysis of Windows Error Reporting data for Explorer- May 21, 2008 I was in a meeting last year where I learned an interesting tidbit of information. One of the people at the meeting was looking at the error reports submitted against Explorer, and the breakdown went something like this. For the purpose of discussion, the number of reports have been normalized into "units", the precise meaning of which is left unspecified, but is meaningful for comparison purposes.† RankCauseUnits 1XYZ.v2 Virus6 million 2XYZ.v3 Virus5.5 million 3XYZ.v1 Virus5...http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2008/05/21/8525411.aspx If users can shut down the machine, it's not a security hole if they can shut down the machine- May 16, 2008 One great way to come up with a dubious security vulnerability is to take something completely innocuous and wrap it inside layer upon layer of obfuscation, and then you proclaim that the obfuscation is the vulnerability. Here's an example based on an actual dubious vulnerability report: Title: Native NT application can shut down computer Description: I have written this native NT application which bypasses the Win32 layer and talks directly to the low-level native NT functions. By...http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2008/05/16/8510192.aspx The dead desktop computer: From good, bad, and ugly back to dead- May 14, 2008 When last we left my dead desktop computer, it had returned to the world of the living with the assistance of the onboard video adapter. The screen was fuzzy because I was running my LCD monitor through the analog VGA cable. Performing an auto-adjust helped a little but it was still blurry. Still, it was within the realm of acceptability for casual low-volume use. Well, the computer once again died, and before it finally kicked the bucket, the onboard video card started pumping out...http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2008/05/14/8502594.aspx Why always "Windows XP" and "Windows Vista" and not just "XP" and "Vista"- May 14, 2008 When the Internet Explorer folks announced that they were going to call their next version of Internet Explorer Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP and Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista, many people responded to the awkward name by suggesting that it be shortened to Internet Explorer 7 XP and Internet Explorer 7 Vista. Why the longer names Lawyers. Microsoft's own trademark guidelines† specify that the product names are Windows XP...http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2008/05/14/8502228.aspx Apparently I've been promoted by mistake all these years- May 7, 2008 A few years ago, this posting on the secret to getting promoted caught my eye. After several years at Microsoft, I had an epiphany today. I came to the realization that the best way, rather the only way -- to get promoted is to demonstrate the ability to hire and retain top talent. Other factors do go a long way but without the ability to hire, you are going to reach your glass ceiling sooner than you think. I have done absolutely nothing to demonstrate this ability, and if I managed to...http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2008/05/07/8464281.aspx |