Caspar Bowden, former Microsoft Privacy Chief no longer trusts MS

[Roguehorse]

Didn't work last time, or the time before that.

I think it's time for Microsoft to divest itself into multiple separate businesses.

Well we've all heard that Ballmer is going to bail, but he seems to be sticking around. I know his approval rating isn't very high with the people who report to him. When I heard they were going to do a re-org I though maybe they'll straighten up so all their best people will quit leaving to go work at other places like Google or IBM. They still have a good market with XBox, but W8 is tanking and their phone isn't doing much better. It just seems like they can't turn out any winners anymore. They need a new leadership team that knows and understands the way the world is working in the 21st century instead of trying to live off their 1990's heydays.

[Roguehorse]

It might finally be time to say Microslop's reign of terror is over, lol, with all the competition out there now and their resting on their laurels while the tech world took off in numerous directions (Android for tablets and phones for example), yep, there will be layoffs at Microslop, to appease the shareholders. That's karma for ya, mess millions around, they'll get what they deserve.

@charles052...I crossed that MS dependent threshold a few years ago (back from the 'darkside', lol), it's a great feeling, like dumping a needy friend that's always getting in to trouble and costing YOU money, lol.

I dream of the day I can get rid of Microsoft completely, but just like charles052, I still have items and functions around the house that are only developed to work on their platform. My wife does the coupon thing too and my son has one of those LeapPads that Ubuntu will not recognize. Then I have an older Canon flatbed scanner that won't fly with Ubuntu either. I think learning to build drivers for many of these devices and functions would be a good thing and motivate people to who aren't yet using Ubuntu to migrate over.

[SteveRiley]

there will be layoffs at Microslop, to appease the shareholders

Didn't work last time, or the time before that.

I think it's time for Microsoft to divest itself into multiple separate businesses.

[tek_heretik]

@tek_heretik,

Thank you for you kind words!

I should go on to elaborate that I do not bash on Microsoft much anymore as I used to. Some of the software they produce is actually pretty good however, compared to the quality of the open source alternatives I believe it is over priced. Their business model could use a makeover and hopefully this re-org they are supposedly going through will turn the company around. I still prefer Linux and the open source model and believe Microsoft would do well to produce a Linux based "openWindows" version of their OS as an alternative to the closed license model. As we know this will probably never happen and they will have to figure out how to sustain growth or cut back some other way.

It might finally be time to say Microslop's reign of terror is over, lol, with all the competition out there now and their resting on their laurels while the tech world took off in numerous directions (Android for tablets and phones for example), yep, there will be layoffs at Microslop, to appease the shareholders. That's karma for ya, mess millions around, they'll get what they deserve.

@charles052...I crossed that MS dependent threshold a few years ago (back from the 'darkside', lol), it's a great feeling, like dumping a needy friend that's always getting in to trouble and costing YOU money, lol.

[charles052]

I too prefer Linux (Kubuntu to be precise) over MS. I just didn't care for all the reinstalling I had to do everytime it broke. Honestly, with Netflix now available for Ubuntu, there's no need for me to have Windblows at all. Except that my wife likes to print coupons and the coupon printer engine, i.e. malware and trackers, doesn't work with Linux.

I've been off my old job for quite a while now and the only time I touch Windows is when I'm working on her computer (just installed an SSD).

[Roguehorse]

@tek_heretik,

Thank you for you kind words!

I should go on to elaborate that I do not bash on Microsoft much anymore as I used to. Some of the software they produce is actually pretty good however, compared to the quality of the open source alternatives I believe it is over priced. Their business model could use a makeover and hopefully this re-org they are supposedly going through will turn the company around. I still prefer Linux and the open source model and believe Microsoft would do well to produce a Linux based "openWindows" version of their OS as an alternative to the closed license model. As we know this will probably never happen and they will have to figure out how to sustain growth or cut back some other way.

[tek_heretik]

To be honest, I haven't trusted Microsoft since about 2007. There just seems to be something fishy going on with a system that requires 3rd party software to be semi-secure and allows no one to view the code on top of trying to monopolize on every desktop and laptop in the world. Too many people getting boot viruses that require scrubbing a pre-installed software causing them to have to go out and buy yet another copy of the software. More money spent to the same company that makes the software as well as more money spent to the companies who code to protect that software that didn't in the first place. All the while the user is blamed for not taking proper precautions.

I don't even do dual boots anymore. Keep it in a VM and turn off the NAT.

Great post, thank you, well said.

[Roguehorse]

To be honest, I haven't trusted Microsoft since about 2007. There just seems to be something fishy going on with a system that requires 3rd party software to be semi-secure and allows no one to view the code on top of trying to monopolize on every desktop and laptop in the world. Too many people getting boot viruses that require scrubbing a pre-installed software causing them to have to go out and buy yet another copy of the software. More money spent to the same company that makes the software as well as more money spent to the companies who code to protect that software that didn't in the first place. All the while the user is blamed for not taking proper precautions.

I don't even do dual boots anymore. Keep it in a VM and turn off the NAT.

[Feathers McGraw]

That's such a strange situation, would never have thought the shutdown would have effects like this.

At least it's not intentional, just an unintended consequence.

You'd have to be an absolute jobsworth to arrest someone who is volunteering to do that. Is the reason they aren't permitted to minister that while they aren't being paid they're not technically military personnel (and only military personnel are allowed to preach on the bases)?

Feathers

[GreyGeek]

http://www.milarch.org/site/apps/nln...99&ct=13344123

Military personnel enjoy, like all Americans, the First Amendment guarantee of the “Free Exercise” of their particular religious faith. But because military personnel are considered a “captive audience,” the laws of our country require the government to provide access to that faith. This is why we have a military chaplaincy. This all becomes very clear when one thinks of a military family stationed in Bahrain or Japan. They cannot walk down the street to the local synagogue, church, mosque, etc.

There is a chronic shortage of active duty Catholic chaplains. While roughly 25% of the military is Catholic, Catholic priests make up only about 8% of the chaplain corps. That means approximately 275,000 men and women in uniform, and their families, are served by only 234 active-duty priests. The temporary solution to this shortage is to provide GS and contract priests. These men are employed by the government to ensure that a priest is available when an active duty Catholic Chaplain is not present. With the government shutdown, many GS and contract priests who minister to Catholics on military bases worldwide are not permitted to work – not even to volunteer. During the shutdown, it is illegal for them to minister on base and they risk being arrested if they attempt to do so.

It's the same for protestant ministers as well.

[Feathers McGraw]

Just today, priests and preachers were warned that they would be jailed IF they administered religious services to people in the armed forces

Interesting... got a reference for that please?

[GreyGeek]

The PDF has this statement:

The first section provides a historical account of US surveillance programmes, showing that the US authorities have continuously disregarded the human right to privacy of non-Americans. The analysis of various surveillance programmes (Echelon, PRISM) and US national security legislation (FISA, PATRIOT and FAA) clearly indicates that surveillance activities by the US authorities are conducted without taking into account the rights of non-US citizens and residents.

I beg to disagree. US authorities are disregarding EVERYONE'S human rights, including US citizens. Just today, priests and preachers were warned that they would be jailed IF they administered religious services to people in the armed forces! Folks, these people (extremists for sure) aren't trying to repeal just the 2nd Amendment, they are going for the whole document.

[SteveRiley]

Caspar is one of the good guys. This news is disturbing.

[GreyGeek]

http://www.kubuntuforums.net/showthr...l=1#post332719

[Robtygart]

The bigger problem here is that due to the way the Internet routes traffic, there's no guarantee that a message from Point to Point B doesn't travel over US networks. Obviously that's not going to happen if you're sending data from one small town to another in Europe, but a message from, say, Brazil to Canada almost certainly passes through the United States. A message from South or Central America to Europe or China? Same deal.

Since phones work using "Voice over IP" its a lot more then "Internet Traffic"....