By Jo Best, 23 February 2004 18:25
NEWS News last week that Microsoft was readying a CD containing all its security patches to be distributed free to anyone that requests it has provoked a flurry of interest from consumers, particularly those without broadband pipes capable of downloading sizeable patches.
So, has the Redmond giant underestimated dial-up demand from the security-conscious?
One silicon.com reader, Stephen Laux, certainly thinks so and believes the security CD is "way overdue". He told silicon.com: "I think Microsoft has pretty much ignored the dial up users until this CD. I'm glad to see they are finally recognising the fact that not everyone has broadband."
According to recent figures from the Office of National Statistics, the number of broadband users is rising, but it still accounts for just 22.5 per cent of all connections leaving nearly three-quarters of all users dealing with a lengthy download cycle.
James Governor, principal analyst at RedMonk, said he believes that Microsoft is now realising the strength of demand from broadband have-nots and responding to it.
"There's a borderline assumption at Microsoft and other tech companies that people all have broadband. Often, organisations don't think that [downloading the patches] is an equitable use of their bandwidth. This is a case where the vendor needs to catch up with the market...users want predictability," he told silicon.com.
It doesn't seem predictability is high on Microsoft's agenda, however. Paul Randle, Windows XP product manager, said the CD was intended as a one-off and not a regular issue. He told silicon.com demand for the CD has been broadly in line with what the software company had anticipated.
However, he added that if customer demand was strong enough, the company may consider another foray into physical updates, but said that when broadband took off, issues of this nature would be less important because users could set their machines to download updates automatically.
Joe Wilcox, analyst at Jupiter Research, said on his website that he approved of the CD issue strategy - "Right now, Microsofts focus is securing Windows XP, but the older OSes remain a problem. The security CDs are a move in the right direction " but he also believes that more could be done, including distributing the CDs via resellers.
So why a one-off security issue? Paul Randle said that the launch of the CD came in response to user requests following the MSBlast virus. However, when Microsoft announced it was going to cease support for Window 98 but later backtracked and continued the service, some analysts hinted that it could be an attempt to head off open source adoption and this push could be seen as another way to combat the idea of Linux as the more secure operating system.
Governor told silicon.com: "Microsoft has made a clear and public commitment to do a better job than open source of security and patching. It needs to find a way to do that." Randle, however, said the strategy didn't have Linux in mind and was simply a way of giving users "as many options as possible."
To get your update CD, click here.
Comments
There are 7 comments. Join the discussion
1. Lionel A Smith
I welcome the issue of a CD for updates and have been pressing for such a move on the part of Microsoft.
However I attempted to request this CD but it transpired that I would have to activate Passport to do this. I bailed out at this point as I have no need for this service and believe it raises its own security issues.
I agree with Joe Wilcox that this CD, and any others that become necessary (which judging by the security events that have occurred since this CD was mastered should be being compiled now, and I notice a flurry of activity on the Norton autoupdate recently sometimes twice in one day) should be distributed through resellers.
I am sure that much of the traffic generated by virus attacks is from PCs not kept up-to-date because of the issue of lengthy connect times by dial-up to do so.
Obly if MS pursue this policy vigourously will the situation be kept in hand.
2. anonymous
I am the one among my friends and family who fixes problems with PCs. While I have broadband, most others do not and are "reluctant" to let me use their dial up connection.
What is needed is an up-to-date copy of the CD, which can be downloaded and burnt. Microsoft do not even seem able to provide a non-interactive download for each patch (or not one that the general public will find out about)
3. Barry Gadsden
Why can't these patches be made available using existing distribution channels such as the 'free' CD's attached to various PC magazines? Wouldn't this solve the basic problem of availability and potentailly increase circulation of these publications?
4. Alfred Reading
I too don't trust Passport so I cannot get the CD. Lionel A. Smith is right to welcome the CD but be wary of Passport. Passport is just another way for Microsoft to try to rule the web.
5. Mark Brown
If Microsoft's quality control and testing of new OS releases were good enough they would not have to constantly issue security patches. Is it not about time that Microsoft invested some of it's huge profits into improving it's testing processes instead of relying on the user to do their job for them? Then they wouldn't have to issue so many updates!
6. Paul
Typical M$. Make a big deal of fixing their errors, and insist you use passport to get it!
Say, remind me why I'm paying 3 times as much for an OS that then peeves about handing out 10p CDs to fix its errors...
pass the penguin...
7. David Walker
It seems from the site that Micro$oft will not send out the CD unless you have got a .NET passport.
Oh well, I suppose I'll have to do without, I really cannot see my way clear to letting a company as opprobrious and with such porus security as M$ have ANY personal information at all.