Actually thought about reading the linked article twice but ended up only reading it in part the first time. That is, I started reading it and then realised–and this coming from worstwriter–that the author was practicing his/her typing more than actually writing something. Or maybe not. What a crock of poo-poo the recent ransomware scandals are. Reason? I don’t know, ask f’n Microsoft. But wait. We’re (as in the royal “we”) aren’t allowed to blame Microsoft. Reason? Microsoft had warned users for years to get off of WinXP. Which means, it’s the users fault if they didn’t heed the advice. I guess it’s the users fault, too, if the user can’t f’n afford to pay the real ransom–that of Microsoft making software that, for all practical purposes, dictates when and how they are paid and by whom. Or? Ok. Whatever. I guess It’s easy enough to put the blame on ransomware of this kind on the users. Again. They were warned. But still… Microsoft sucks and so does most technology these days. Reason? That’s how greed-mongering works. Or maybe not.
The article that motivated this post, see below, was sent me by an old friend with the question: “you follow any of this shit?” Here my response.
Thanks for the article. I missed that one.
As far as the recent “wcry” (ransomware) exploit, the article does not once mention that it only worked on WinXP legacy systems. The rest of the explaining that the author does is interesting but doesn’t apply to the real world, i.e. Unix, Linux or Mac users. This recent ransomware exploit is all about legacy systems and whether or not companies are willing to pay the exuberant costs of upgrades—that is not only about upgrading the OS but upgrading all the other software components that, especially for older systems, are rarely compatible. There is a case where a Win7 system was infected but that was only after they tried to fix and/or upgrade the already infected WinXP system. These ransomware exploits, although serious, are really kinda of a sinister joke on Microsoft. I wonder what all these hackers that come up with this shit would be doing if there were jobs available for them—i.e. jobs that paid decent wages and provided a living standard?
Personally, I blame Microsoft for this problem. Even though they warned WinXP users for years that they would no longer support the system with security updates, they went ahead and stopped supporting it anyway. Microsoft knew that there are millions of systems out there still running XP. Hell, I’m sure you could go to some fancy restaurant in Manila and see XP on its cash register system. Why companies and organisations never updated to newer version of Windows is not just about upgrade costs, though—which are outrageous from Microsoft. Like I said, upgrade your OS and you also have to upgrade your other components.
Imagine running a WinXP accounting system on 10,000 terminals (retail, bank teller, airport terminal, etc.) that is dependent on a Oracle DB backend. Holly shit! The cost of an upgrade to another version of Windows OS is mind boggling. And you have to pay to upgrade Oracle, too. This is and has always been STUPID.
But listen to all the college grads out there totting old conservative rhetoric all their lives. A logical government mandate that controls the out-of-control is/was the only solution. Oh wait. Government regulation is a sin.
WHAT A FUCKING EASY THING TO EXPLOIT!
After Bill Gates, Microsoft has been run my sales people and NOT by engineers. This is blatant in how the company has tried to keep up with modernising its OS. I gave up on Windows after Win7. Although the current CEO of Microsoft is an engineer, he’s focused right now on hardware not on Windows.
I’m laughing my ass off.
Thank you.
-t
…and please take all worst writing with a grain of salt. It’s just thoughts or three and little extra time to practice typing.
Rant on.
-T
Link that motivated this post:
worstwriter 
Macs at least have some software even if Apple Inc. is another PoS tech company (for various reasons.) Unix (and Linux) support software as well but it just isn’t out there in terms of broad selection like it is for Windows … or users get to attempt to compile it to get an executable. No fun if one is not experienced in such. And of course, Unix has its share of security issues and has to be patched as well.
If it were not for a couple of key activities, I would pull the plug on the internet. Besides the OS support issues you mention, the level of criminality and ordinary vile behavior associated with the internet is extraordinary anymore. It was all exciting 30 years ago; now it is mainly tiresome nonsense.
Cheers!
Not sure I follow you with “pull plug on the Internet.” There’s nothing wrong with the Internet. But I agree that there is some pretty vile behaviour on it. I think that behaviour stems out of something else and not the Internet.
Hello Tommi,
Thanks for the reply. My comment was admittedly vague. Multiple factors contribute to my disenchantment with the internet (and are perhaps simply -my- problem vice the internet’s problem). A big issue seems to have been how it was all to be funded … and yeah, all that super-neat hardware like routers, servers, etc., not to mention electricity costs to support them … demanded income to pay the fixed and recurring costs of their acquisition and operation. This commercialized the internet, even as many evade, or attempt to, the commercialization using tricks like ad-blockers and the like.
The quality of information available is IMO not what it once was. There is a lot more information out there, but much of it is of a low quality or is outright false. Consider the many sites that present themselves as “news”, yet are really more collections of opinion pieces than anything else. Comment forums are so plagued with trolls of ideological or corporate nature that most sites don’t even bother to try to police such activity anymore. Projects that started out with promise, like Wikipedia, have become poisoned with propaganda from many sources. And income from ads makes visiting many sites a “click-fest”.
There used to be really interesting sites that have since closed … fortunately, archive.org captured the bulk of some of them. Lesson is that information on the internet is of less than durable quality. Perhaps most of it deserves such a status … but for someone who grew up in a home that included a few books from previous centuries … makes me wonder if the internet really has any utility as a common memory for information. Seems to be more of a distraction machine than anything else these days — Kardashian and all the others …
Well. We need distraction in measure. I suppose these days I prefer to get it by listening to the sounds of nature and watching it do its thing. I cannot completely abandon the internet for some practical reasons, but it is very tempting.
Cheers !