Bill Gates: Vista is so secure it could run life support systems

[IHateMyJob2004]

After reading this thread ... I am freightened by what people think an OS is. OSes used for things like life support systems and safety critical apps for the military are first and foremost designed differently than what MS does with it's OSes. Not to mention the companies that deal with these OSes are very much into peer reviews of the source code and testing of the code on both the unit and integrated levels. These systems RARELY CRASH. One system I am aware of in use on submarines has a redundant OS (very much custom). If one OS crashes, the other takes over till the failed system is fixed. THAT IS WHAT A GOOD OS DOES!!!!! And I won't go any deeper into this OS and what it's used for other than to say it is probably one of hte most important systems on a sub if not THE MOST important system on a sub.

What I am saying is that ANYONE that thinks Linux or Windows or whatever can be used for life support systems or safety critical military apps should not make uneducated comments on topics they do not understand.

 

[DVK916]

Well I am impressed that Vista still hasn't been cracked yet. The activation routine still hasn't been beaten yet.

 

[Scarpozzi]

1. Humans are imperfect
2. Humans design Operating Systems
3. Operating Systems are imperfect

 

[Gunslinger08]

If you know what you're doing, every Microsoft OS back to 95 can be very secure and even reliable. It's just that each progressive version has made it easier for non-technical people to keep their systems secure and reliable.

 

[Goosemaster]

Potential problems

1. Blue screen of death
2. Fatal Exceptions
3. Windows upgrade-based reboots
4. driver conflicts

 

[6000SUX]

Originally posted by: chambersc

Originally posted by: Kaido
That's a little scary...

I don't see it as scary in the slightest. If he, in his official capacity at Microsoft, is willing to put his money where his mouth is (which would appear that he's doing exactly that) than I'd like to see vista implemented and what happens with it.

If the CEO is that confident then I am supremely confident.

Putting his money where his mouth is would mean relying on Windows Vista for life support in a life-or-death situaion. An interview is classified as "mouth", not "money".

Edit: Sorry, yowolabi said it well.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
If you know what you're doing, every Microsoft OS back to 95 can be very secure and even reliable. It's just that each progressive version has made it easier for non-technical people to keep their systems secure and reliable.

95 reliable?

NT of course, but 95?!

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: DVK916
Well I am impressed that Vista still hasn't been cracked yet. The activation routine still hasn't been beaten yet.

*giggles uncontrollably*

 

[marulee]

Man.. I am gonna try vista this weekend. Full of curiousity though. Freakin lazy. Cannot take my butt out from the chair.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
1. Humans are imperfect
2. Humans design Operating Systems
3. Operating Systems are imperfect

Humans need only some beer, perhaps some illegal drugs, and a dark quiet alley where they can be alone, free to exploit their own devices, to get the latest version....

If I'm paying my daughter better be the best of breed.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

lol, I can just see someone plugging a life support system into the USB port and it installing with plug and play

or is it plug and pray?

 

[DVK916]

The current workaround requires the use of VMWare, which 99% of the people don't have and/or don't know how to use.

 

[Goosemaster]

*Step-father in the waiting room awaiting news of his daughters condition after his stepson got drunk and his step-father's car into a flagpole*

I WISH THAT KID WOULD JUST DIE!!!.mp3

 

[animalia]

Somethig tells me Bill Gates isn't BLS certified....

As for Vista, I am getting it free. Came with my Laptop when I bought it. All I had to do was fax them my receipt.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: zoiks
Text

"The exploit scenario would involve the speech recognition feature picking up commands through the microphone such as 'copy', 'delete', 'shutdown', etc. and acting on them," a Microsoft security researcher wrote on the team's official blog."

Ahh, this is nice. A creative virus writer could use the PC's speech recognition, and have the PC tell itself to kill itself, and in response, the PC will obey itself.
Hilarious.

 

[Dean]

Yeah just don't install any critical updates, which I have seen almost pooch the OS, at least in the case of XP.

I have always found XP so sensitive. Almost anything can make it go belly up. W2K never suffered those kind of issues.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: SSSnail
...and if it?s administred properly, absolutely, it can be used to run a hospital or any kind of mission crytical thing.
...and the security walls to make sure it fullfils that very crytical function.

[/quote]

Perhaps the author should learn how to spell check...

I love how BG says "mission critical thing" and "security walls". At no point in my IT career have I heard the term "security wall" used.

 

[SSSnail]

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: SSSnail
...and if it?s administred properly, absolutely, it can be used to run a hospital or any kind of mission crytical thing.
...and the security walls to make sure it fullfils that very crytical function.

Perhaps the author should learn how to spell check...

I love how BG says "mission critical thing" and "security walls". At no point in my IT career have I heard the term "security wall" used.[/quote]

LOL... how can you fault me when it's a direct quote from the article?