Microsoft "Black Box"

[Grinch]

I found this interesting, wondering how this will work with pirated copies

In a move that could rankle privacy advocates, Microsoft said Monday that it is adding the PC equivalent of a flight data recorder to the next version of Windows, in an effort to better understand and prevent computer crashes.

The tool will build on the existing Watson error-reporting tool in Windows but will provide Microsoft with much deeper information, including what programs were running at the time of the error and even the contents of documents that were being created. Businesses will also choose whether they want their own technology managers to receive such data when an employee's machine crashes.

"Think of it as a flight data recorder, so that any time there's a problem, that 'black box' is there helping us work together and diagnose what's going on," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said during a speech at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference here. For consumers, the choice of whether to send the data, and how much information to share, will be up to the individual. Though the details are being finalized, Windows lead product manager Greg Sullivan said users will be prompted with a message indicating the information to be sent and giving them an option to alter it, such as removing the contents of the e-mail they were writing when the machine crashed. Also, such reporting will also be anonymous.

"Our stance on this is that the user is in control," Sullivan said. "In the consumer environment, you will be presented with a dialog that clearly gives you the choice whether to share the information and then also provides exactly what the detail is so you can parse character by character what's being sent." With businesses, however, IT managers typically set the policy. If they wanted total information, they could configure systems so that they'd know not only that a user was running Internet Explorer, for example, but also that he or she was watching a video from ESPN.com. Or, they might find out not only that a worker was running Instant Messenger but also that he or she was talking to a co-worker about getting a new job.

And consumers could have a tough time knowing just what information they were sending. Though they'll be able to see the contents of a document, they may not recognize the significance of the technical data--such as register settings--that's being sent. Industry analyst Richard Doherty said he doubted Microsoft got enough feedback on how users might feel about such a feature. Even airplane pilots, Doherty said, have been able to keep from having their routine in-flight dialogue preserved. Microsoft's version of the black box, Doherty said "is begging for more real-world testing." But Sullivan pointed out that businesses can already install third-party software to monitor workers' computer usage and some do.

[KM]

I found this interesting, wondering how this will work with pirated copies

very well i would expect... for M$ at least

"Think of it as a flight data recorder, so that any time there's a problem, that 'black box' is there helping us work together and diagnose what's going on,"

work together on solutions such as "well he was using a non-licenced copy of windows, so thats why it messed up - lets ignore the bug and just take the person to court instead"?

For consumers, the choice of whether to send the data, and how much information to share, will be up to the individual.

such as in the "do you wish to send this information to microsoft" message boxes they have already? the ones that add 30 minutes to your boot time because you told them to f off the first time but they still have to ask 50 damn times the next time you boot...?

Also, such reporting will also be anonymous.

and we know what that means from M$... "we wont know anything about you, except your name, address, telephone number, bank account details, and the name of your lawyer"

"Our stance on this is that the user is in control," Sullivan said. "In the consumer environment, you will be presented with a dialog that clearly gives you the choice whether to share the information and then also provides exactly what the detail is so you can parse character by character what's being sent."

erm... "you can parse character by character what's being sent"? yes, sounds like that plan on making it extremely simple to modify the data..

Or, they might find out not only that a worker was running Instant Messenger but also that he or she was talking to a co-worker about getting a new job.

and they could help out with a nice large redundancy payment

[Rat]

Oooooh, yet another reason to finally ditch my windows partition.






I wonder if I'll ever do it.

[battye]

I had an opinion on this at phpBB.com, my posts quoted below:

Sullivan said users will be prompted with a message indicating the information to be sent and giving them an option to alter it, such as removing the contents of the e-mail they were writing when the machine crashed. Also, such reporting will also be anonymous.

Oh yeah, like they really need to know the contents of the email you were writing. Give me a break

Yep my thoughs exactly.

Man I need to get slackware installed so I can leave microsoft forever!
Microsoft is getting pretty darn close to all the spyware/adware they "try to protect users from". Riiight...

They want to "help prevent crashes", just make your software better!
Stop using cheap programmers or whatever it is you do and start writing decent software. Look at software, such as linux, mozilla etc.
They dont crash nearly half as often.

Hey what about my quiz mod?

Seriously though, their intentions are right (making anti-spyware programs etc) but they are so far behind the 8-ball it's not funny. Anti-spyware programs like Spybot have been around for ages and work perfectly well, so people will not convert to the new "Beta" MS Anti Spyware program.

When people's computers crash now, after trying to fix it, I'm sure most would turn to a tech support site or forum. I wonder how many people actually contact Microsoft for help

[KrazyKid]

and even the contents of documents that were being created.

Can anyone say "legal" spyware? Thinking of going to Linux soon lol. Any reason not to?