"I know, lets get a bunch of open source monkeys to write the next service pack for XP. So that when things go wrong with it, as they do, people will go mad waiting in vain for some sort of "support" from the generous and overwhelmingly supportive Open source community."

Those who follow or spew useless diatribes and cannot formulate opinions on their own are the monkeys my friend. Try to have some respect for others on here - it will further strengthen your opinion and position.

Anyways, last I heard it was very possible to purchase support from your favourite LINUX distribution if required. So ... where is the problem?

"Stop whining all of you. If you want to go to XPsp2 then go."

I'll agree with you here. You have the choice to upgrade, as you do to have the choice to adapt a far more reliable OS as those available in the open source community ;)

"If not then DON'T and stop flapping the gums about how Microsoft is killing the world and doesn't add any value to the IT community."

I believe that M$ has added a great deal to the end user market, by bringing users the ease of functionality they so require - server market is a whole other beast. BUT where do we draw the line between ease of use and security in this evironment? IMO, by taking this "easy to install" approach, it has opened up a plethora of venues for attacks to occur. Being able to find that perfect balance is one hell of a task as M$ is witness too. We are human, we are prone to mistakes ... the greatest part about being human is making those mistakes, learning from them and never repeating them. Hopefully with this latest SP, M$ will head in the right direction.

As for the rest of you, let's face it, if I'm going to hide my tracks I'd target a home user machine before going after a corporate system ... why? It's easier to attack, everything is in a default configuration - a typical end-user will have no clue how to secure it. This *firewall* is a step in the right direction at doing just that, protecting the home user from malicious/annoying viruses which will ultimately be utilized as DDoS zombies to target X site. Is it an end-all solution to all the trauma they (M$) has experienced - no. But hey, they are definitely trying and I commend them for that step.

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Link to this comment: http://www.securityfocus.com/comments/columns/259/28010#28010