J
Jim Hubbard
Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
Published: April 26, 2005, 4:00 AM PDT
By Ina Fried
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
"SEATTLE--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. "
Read the rest of the story at
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+to+add+black+box+to+Windows/2100-1016_3-5684051.html?tag=nl .
Published: April 26, 2005, 4:00 AM PDT
By Ina Fried
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
"SEATTLE--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. "
Read the rest of the story at
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+to+add+black+box+to+Windows/2100-1016_3-5684051.html?tag=nl .