Essay About Much Information And Ms-Dos

Microsoft Prospectus
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Microsoft Antitrust
Prospectus
Section One
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Microsoft, is it trustworthy?
A little background information on Microsoft.
The history of Microsoft and (only a few of) its operating systems.
1982, MS-DOS –
Simply a renamed version of QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) which was purchased by MicroSoft from IBM.
MS-DOS is based on QDOS which was written by Tim Patterson (working under Seattle Computer Products). MicroSoft
bought the rights to QDOS for $50,000, keeping the deal with IBM a secret from Seattle Computer Products.
1998, Windows 98 –
Essentially an upgrade from Windows 95. Microsoft planned to discontinue its support for Windows 98, but due
to its popularity, Microsoft extended support until June 30th, 2006.
2001, Windows XP –
Why is Windows XP so popular? With more bugs and security holes than ever, its a wonder that people arent
throwing their copy of windows out the window and switching to a more secure operating system. The fact of the
matter is, that Microsofts marketing strategy is “Tight integration” and “Easy to Use”. Their programmers are
hired right out of college, with no network experience. Management is quite aware of its security “issues”,
and they also know that security doesnt sell. Features, however do.
The more I read about Microsoft and its software and practices in general, the madder I get. On the other hand, however,
the more I read about Bill Gates (One of the Founders of Micro-Soft), the more intrigued I am. He didnt start out to
“rule the world”. He just wanted to survive. Being the savvy business investor he is, Im sure youll agree,
he did more than just that. Its how he got there, that seems to be a big issue, though.
Im not setting out to write a paper on Bill Gates, but to address the trust issue behind Microsoft. To do that however,
you have to look at not only Microsoft itself, but whos behind Microsoft, and what theyve done.
Bill Gates – Co-Founder of Micro-Soft (1975)
-“The Internet? We are not interested in it.” – 1993
Paul Allen – Co-Founder of Micro-Soft (Left in 1983)
Karen Worstell, Chief Information Security Officer
Scott Charney, Vice President of Trustworthy Computing
Its not exactly going to be easy, in my opinion, researching anything about Microsoft. Theres just too much information
available. Especially on the internet, what can you trust? Im doing my best not to be biased, so I wont
say: “Not Microsoft”. There, I didnt say it.
Section Two
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With that said, if Im careful enough, it shouldnt be too hard to find plenty of information on Microsoft on the internet
alone. Its just a matter if discerning reliablity. Interesting side note however (again trying not