FC: Dan Geer on Microsoft, 4-mo delay, and problems with so much code

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

Previous message:

"Microsoft asks for 4-mo delay before antitrust punishments 
levied"
http://www.politechbot.com/p-02962.html

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To: declan@well.com
cc: politech@politechbot.com, geer@shell.TheWorld.com
Subject: Re: FC: Justice Department offes details of Microsoft antitrust deal
In-reply-to: Your message of "Thu, 15 Nov 2001 19:39:51 EST."
              <5.1.0.14.0.20011115192825.02381500@mail.well.com>
Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 22:19:16 -0500
From: Dan Geer <geer@TheWorld.com>

So you remember that old joke?

   The masochist and the sadist are walking down the street.  The
   masochist says "Beat me."  The sadist says "No."

Well, here's my idea.  The remedy that Microsoft succefully avoided was
to have its code base broken up among two or more units.  However, as
we all know, the quality control cost of any system rises with the
square of the number of components.  Since Microsoft cannot charge the
usurious upgrade prices on which their revenue growth, and therefore
their shareholder value, depends without substantial feature expansion,
the component count must grow linearly (50 new features) if not
geometrically (10% new features) per unit time, the quality control
costs for them face a cost curve that becomes untenable at some point,
the only question being when not if.  Therefore, the greatest
punishment you can possibly impose on Microsoft is to forbid them to
break up their code base into integrable product lines as it marries
them to a cost curve that will kill them in due course.  Having sworn
in court, settled in camera, and committed their reputation in public
to the common argument that their code base cannot be broken up, they
will now either reverse their position or march off the cliff.

YMMV,

--dan

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Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 09:36:43 +0100
To: declan@well.com
From: Peter Kaiser <kaiser@acm.org>
Subject: Re: FC: Microsoft fesses up to huge security breach in Windows
   XP
Cc: kaiser@acm.org
In-Reply-To: <20011221122734.A18069@cluebot.com>

 > Microsoft spokesman Tom Laemmel said the flaw "slipped through" the
 > company's testing process but that XP's security still is superior to
 > that of previous Windows versions.
 >
 > "When we say Windows XP is the most secure system ever we're not saying
 > it's perfect," he said.

	"No, we're saying it's the most secure system we've marketed under
	the 'Windows' brand with an 'X' designation this year.  On that
	we stand firmly committed."

It's the timing that makes the comedian.  (Note that in French the word
"comedien" means simply "actor".)

___Pete

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