Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
Quote:
In a move that could rankle privacy advocates, Microsoft said Monday that it is adding the PC equivalent of a flight data recorder to the next version of Windows, in an effort to better understand and prevent computer crashes.
The tool will build on the existing Watson error-reporting tool in Windows but will provide Microsoft with much deeper information, including what programs were running at the time of the error and even the contents of documents that were being created. Businesses will also choose whether they want their own technology managers to receive such data when an employee's machine crashes.
"Think of it as a flight data recorder, so that any time there's a problem, that 'black box' is there helping us work together and diagnose what's going on," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said during a speech at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference here. For consumers, the choice of whether to send the data, and how much information to share, will be up to the individual. Though the details are being finalized, Windows lead product manager Greg Sullivan said users will be prompted with a message indicating the information to be sent and giving them an option to alter it, such as removing the contents of the e-mail they were writing when the machine crashed. Also, such reporting will also be anonymous.
"Our stance on this is that the user is in control," Sullivan said. "In the consumer environment, you will be presented with a dialog that clearly gives you the choice whether to share the information and then also provides exactly what the detail is so you can parse character by character what's being sent." With businesses, however, IT managers typically set the policy. If they wanted total information, they could configure systems so that they'd know not only that a user was running Internet Explorer, for example, but also that he or she was watching a video from ESPN.com. Or, they might find out not only that a worker was running Instant Messenger but also that he or she was talking to a co-worker about getting a new job.
And consumers could have a tough time knowing just what information they were sending. Though they'll be able to see the contents of a document, they may not recognize the significance of the technical data--such as register settings--that's being sent. Industry analyst Richard Doherty said he doubted Microsoft got enough feedback on how users might feel about such a feature. Even airplane pilots, Doherty said, have been able to keep from having their routine in-flight dialogue preserved. Microsoft's version of the black box, Doherty said "is begging for more real-world testing." But Sullivan pointed out that businesses can already install third-party software to monitor workers' computer usage and some do.
...or they could just stfu and build a decent OS :ph34r:
Re: Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
As long as you can disable the option so it won't send data 2 microsoft...
Re: Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
Quote:
Originally Posted by {I}{K}{E}
As long as you can disable the option so it won't send data 2 microsoft...
agreed. it could be of great use to corporations
that have to manage 100's of PCs per site,
if was in an IT department such as that I would welcome it
but for the home user? no thnx :P
Re: Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
Quote:
Originally Posted by {I}{K}{E}
As long as you can disable the option so it won't send data 2 microsoft...
Quote:
For consumers, the choice of whether to send the data, and how much information to share, will be up to the individual............"Our stance on this is that the user is in control," Sullivan said. "In the consumer environment, you will be presented with a dialog that clearly gives you the choice whether to share the information and then also provides exactly what the detail is so you can parse character by character what's being sent."
'
Uh huh. :mellow:
Re: Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
I thought microsoft already stored all your information anyway.:withoutyourknowledge:
Re: Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
Hope it works better than DR. Watson . :D
Re: Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
Dr. Watson is the first thing I disable when I install windows :lol: This sounds like it could be helpful for some people at least.
Re: Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
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Originally Posted by FinalTheorem
Dr. Watson is the first thing I disable when I install windows :lol: This sounds like it could be helpful for some people at least.
Glad you saw the humor ! Its like the old airplane joke , build the whole fuking thing out of that. Or as Mr Mulder so eloquently said : Or they could just stfu and build a decent OS. :lol:
Re: Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
i wish they turned crap like that off by default though........ its really annoying to have to turn off all the useless junk microsoft put into your corporate windows copy every time :(
