A couple of Vista notes...
Published Mon, Apr 23 2007 4:55 PM
Technorati Tags: Computers and Internet, Software Development
Microsoft and Dell might be having words soon. According to an article in the Seattle Times:
There might be just a little bit of tension in the next meeting between Microsoft and one of its biggest customers, Dell.
In the past month, the computer maker has launched a couple of initiatives that appear to run counter to Microsoft's effort to move the world to the Windows Vista operating system.
On Thursday, Dell said it will make Windows XP an option on some of its consumer-focused desktop and laptop computers.
"We heard you loud and clear on bringing the Windows XP option back to our Dell consumer PC offerings," the company said on its Ideas in Action Web site, which is part of a customer-feedback tool it launched earlier this year.
Back in March, Dell announced plans to "expand our Linux support beyond our existing servers and Precision workstation line.
"Our first step in this effort is offering Linux pre-installed on select desktop and notebook systems."
And here's an interesting little tidbit. Instead of determining what rights a Vista executable requires based on what it does, Vista makes that determination based on the executable's name. Isn't that one of the things that Michael Howard warns against in his book Writing Secure Code? This one is from the Register.
Developers have discovered that the name given to a Vista executable affects whether or not it will require admin rights to run.
Security experts said the feature might seem odd, but helps to catch out spyware.
Reg Reader Mike, a C++ developer, discovered the behaviour after spending days trying to work out why just some of his projects required elevation (admin rights) to be run on his Windows Vista machine. To his disbelief, Mike realised that the different properties were simply due to projects being named differently.
"If Vista sees that you have created a Microsoft Visual C++ project with install in the project name, then that .exe will automatically require Admin Rights to run. Create exactly the same project, but call it, say, Fred, and the problem disappears," he explained. "Vista's security isn't just concerned with what an .exe is doing to your PC, but what it's actually called."
We put these points to Microsoft, which responded with a statement that explained why installation programs might need admin privileges to run but not why this changes depending on the name given to a project.
"Installation programs are applications designed to deploy software, and most write to system directories and registry keys. These protected system locations are typically writable only by an administrator user, which means that standard users do not have sufficient access to install programs. Windows Vista heuristically detects installation programs and requests administrator credentials or approval from the administrator user in order to run with access privileges. Windows Vista also heuristically detects updater and uninstallation programs. Note that a design goal of UAC [User Account Control] is to prevent installations from being executed without the user's knowledge and consent since they write to protected areas of the file system and registry," it said.
With security decisions like this, is it any wonder that some people are having such problems with Vista?
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Stanford Matthews responded with:
 | I have found that besides being informative and interesting, your IT posts encourage me to post another item on Microsoft. Of course you have more knowledge on the subject for obvious reasons whereas my past frustration causes me to grab a few facts and take a relatively cheap shot.
Dell has received its fair share of criticism, but other than an extraordinarily bad financing section, I have found their offerings above average.
And last time I checked, their refurbished units cost nearly as much as a new one.
Good posts, Perri, cheers. |
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