10 stupefied employments for Windows
This post deals mainly with:
- sperm
[Update 7-11-08. Ten more stupid uses for Windows stationed
After all these months I am leaving to acknowledge that Microsoft has gained the screen background and waiter wars. Thanks to VMWare Windows is distributing end the datacenter. And, of course of study, there is only one operational system to utilize if you are dependant on Microsoft apps like Mind, Intelligence, and Surpass. Patch I have got together the refrain of security folk who rail against the Microsoft Monoculture I still cannot think some of the utilisations for Windows. Some of them are simply downright silly, some you may claim are reprehensively negligent.
So here is the Top Ten List of Bad Utilizations for Windows:
1. To exhibit a static green arrow all over the open Transportation Security Administration security lanes at Motor City Subway system.
I kid you not, at the main security checkpoint to get into Motor City Subway system there are monitors all over each metal sensing element. The ONLY matter those monitors of all time display is a big green arrow indicating down. Oh, from time to time they display a blue screen with a Windows fault notice.
2. Ticket digital scanner at Frankfort airport
Some other representative of excessively lots Equus caballus powerfulness for a simplified undertaking. In this example I saw a Windows boot up screen on the small optical maser digital scanner for checking out citizenry on to the plane. Wherefore not program some down down embedded system for that task? IT would be open beginning most likely and would not need to be updated every days.
3. Gift certificate administerring stall
I am responsible for for this one. Back earlier the crook of the one C I required to trade published gift certificates from booths in downtown Birmingham, Great Lakes State. All I could encounter was a manufacturing business in Seattle who supercharged me USD 10,000 a part admitting the touching screen and beautiful purple stand. The OS was Windows NT. It intended that doubly a hebdomad I had got to deploy a technician (me) to each booth to bring up them because they would freeze up due to remembering leaks. Finally the manufacturing business came up up with a muddle. I downloaded a playscript to each machine that would bring up it mechanically every mean solar day at midnight. It may be hard to savvy today but Microsoft efficaciously latherred Sun, December, HP, and IBM in the endeavor with merchandises that were so blemished that they required to be brought up every 24 hour. (That’s scheduled downtime, not ill in shrewd five niners.)
4. Job application stall
Today we get into security. A small retail merchant in the Capital of Massachusetts country ill pedestal alone booths for showing job application forms. Terrorists established it commodious to compromise the Windows based simple machine and steal decades of one thousand thousands of recognition card game from the retail merchant. Yes, it was TJX
5. Train locomotive engine controls
This one would use merely as good to any travelling fomite such as a send, earth travelling equipment, etc. I was on an Amtrak train from San Jose to San Diego a duet of months ago. As common we had got to draw off the main track to let a loading train through. After that the railroad train would not start over again. We were stated the technologist could not bring up the computing device. Today, I made not get verification that the railroad train broke away on Windows but it is stating that that would be anyone’s first premise. And wares like this locomotive control system do run on Windows.
6. Edifice controls
Hear, we all have enough trouble with heat, water, chilling, and electric outages. Wherefore get them worsened with Windows? As luck would have it no one would of all time trust on Windows to command lifts right? Conceive once more. Say the Lift Direction Scheme ware document from Otis. Not only do you need Windows 2000 or XP for the Main Place but is got at via an entanglement web browser from anyplace on the Cyberspace! Talk about a hacker’s dream.
7. Manufacture controls
Today we are acquiring to lala land. Envisage having your manufacture plant swear on Windows. If you are the works managing director how do you explicate to your Chief executive officer that your plant is killed because of a computer virus? But I am here to say you that Windows on machine accountants is getting standard. Brainsick, but the verity.
8. Atmospheres
I was in one case toughened to an eventide on Steve Forbe’s yacht by ISS. It was an case for manufacture psychoanalysts and ISS (nowadays IBM) occupied the chance to exhibit the terminal point security they were doing work on. One of the representatives they presented us was a Necrotizing enterocolitis Standard atmosphere application. I could not concentrate on their add-on resolution because I was so stunned that NEC was deploying hard currency machines all all over the macrocosm heading for the hills Windows. Who at the Sir Joseph Banks makes these conclusions? Do not the RFPs have a subdivision in them tagged: “presentation of boiled operational system”? I guess not at Citibank who it turns extinct yielded to an attack on their web where account numbers and PIN codes were slipped.
9. SCADA Web
Envisage occupying the big webs for electric transmitting, oil and gas pipe argumentation and even Brobdingnagian underground pipes for carrying petrol, and commanding them via Windows. Good it is happing. SCADA, the communications protocol for commanding critical infrastructure has locomoted to IP and end point pumps, switches and direction Stations of the Cross are all lamming Windows. How a lot of of those schemes harbor Trojan Equus caballus today? How plenty of are ready to see remembering outflow that forces an unscheduled boot and sets off an uncontrolled riffle end the critical infrastructure? Wait and realize.
10. Medical equipment
I truly get down to doubt the intelligence service of applied scientists today whenever I encounter a medical equipment maker that has got the electric switch to Windows from UNIX. First of all, let me point extinct that the FDA takes a prolonged theme trail to be registered every clip medical equipment like dialysis machines, imagination equipment, radiation sickness therapy, and biologic proctors are advanced. That admits being spotted for bugs and security updates every patch Tues if they are running away Windows. You cognise what that way. They are not updated. Thus they are vulnerable. Vital living support schemes end an infirmary are vulnerable to computer virus and worms. They could neglect because of the want of foresightfulness of the makers. Citizenry could misplace their lives.
So, what’s my point? I think that “Windows All over” is a scheme that benefits only Microsoft. Everyone else should pick the best overall answer for their application. Need to turn tail DNS? Wherefore use a big haired in operation system like Windows for such a simple heretofore critical application? Look for down down hard answers for missionary post critical apps. Use Windows for must-have business office productiveness suites, play if you have to, but do not construct Windows into your trading operations if you do not have to. Are automobile manufacturing business truly seeing View for cars? Is National Aeronautics and Space Administration putt Windows in the specs for the STS replacing? I hope not but I have been surprised earlier.
You wish they runed away NT. They headed for the hills a limited edition of 98, with a Java Graphical user interface on top.
Sign,
The bozo who held to boot them for the last twelvemonth that society lived.
PS: Our family 5 phone switch uses a windows machine to negociate it. I can tranquilize use the UNIX operating system based bidding argumentation on the electric switch, and do, because something about the stupid frontend is ever grossing out extinct in some manner.
Thanks for the rectification Alice Paul. So you are stating me phone switches could be compromised through Windows??
-RS
What is genuinely shivery is that today Microsoft is locomoting past but commanding bequest PBX’s and laying themselves as a complete Incorporate Communication theory solvent with their OCS merchandise. Attempt using up down bodied telephone dial tone every Dapple Tuesday!
That is so dead on target.
Our switches are as well carried off by windows graphical user interface and bad of all our IN runs wholly on a duet of windows machines.
For medical equipment they do not patch time period. I cognise of a major health care seller that merely last twelvemonth got to apply Solaris 10, up until then they escaped on Solaris 8. No patchy patchy, it used up them till about a hebdomad earlier the DST changes to okay the patch that held been about for respective calendar months already.
Mouthing of Frankfurt on the Main airport and windows: I travelled through there for a job interview. I noticed that the security check place I locomoted through had got a blue screen of decease on the proctor that was called to demonstrate you your tying flights. Piece that sucked in (I only held 20 minute or so to get to the right gate), I could live with the unfortunate downtime right when I needful the system. Good I acquired the job and a days ulterior I come up through the airport, and would not you cognize the same proctor still (or once more) has a blue screen of expiry.
Retentive narrative short: if the airport (or insert any society) ca not be fazed to reimage the terminal/otherwise repair it, when it is client veneer for all over a days, *NIX wo not help them. They still wo not patch it. If they get a disc mistake they’ll be clueless when they need to run away a fsck etc. Clueless admins/exploiters can get any OS vulnerable.
The projection screen above the luggage repossess in British capital Stansted Aerodrome held a windows fault screen all over last hebdomad when I was there; it’s not simply Frankfurt on the Main.
I snarled an image at Terminal 1 Heathrow of a depository financial institution of flying information monitors (bank of 3 in the older “temporary fuming subdivision” earlier they prohibited it altogether) who held BSOD’ed. It was classic.
My begetter and I rammed an driven tag cubicle at Capital of New York International Airdrome in Capital of New York, NY. I’m a junior so we were both named with the same name but dissimilar historic periods. The system could not separate betwixt us (Two citizenry with the same name, oh no!), and rammed/brought up.
What was it turning tail? Of class, Windows.
Oh, you have not understood anything up to now…envisage an ENTIRE plane filled with windose? Air Canada flights I have been on latterly, the amusement schemes made not work at all. On one flight, they shut down the moving picture halfway through the moving picture, and it would not start! On a flying from Japan to George Vancouver, the schemes made not work at all, and from George Vancouver to Toronto, a dissimilar AC flight, they were not doing work either! All Windoze based. In fact, it passs off so frequently, that they afford extinct card game for discounts on your next flight to seek to placate clients. Wherefore do I state that it goes on oft? Because the card game are PREPRINTED, telling that “We’re bad our amusement schemes were not doing work today…etc.”