[MarkL]

[Tinfoil hat on]

To this day, I've got this feeling that the vast majority of Windows vulnerabilities have been purposely engineered into Microsoft products for one reason... Microsoft has been forced into the open standards world of the Internet, using protocols such as the TCP/IP protocol suite, including standards such as LDAP. If Microsoft could show that these protocols are "inherently insecure" (even though it's through the Microsoft implementation) they could try to push proprietary communications protocol standards on the rest of the industry. And if they keep those protocols a secret, they would effectively shut every other company out of the market.

Mark

[Tinfoil hat off]

[Amalie]

Tinfoil hat or not, what you lay is certainly logical. However, like all inventors, Microsoft wants to maintain its proprietary technology and secrets in-house. The term 'inherently insecure' sums up what happens when those protocols are made available to anyone; they can impact every single computer owner. I personally am happier having a secure product then open competition with greater risk.

Perhaps the way out of this is for Microsoft to develop a simple freeware operating system that outside users will need to build their own security protocols into; the MS 'premium' product retains its place, and the crybabies will have to shut up...