Doug's Mailbag: Anti-Anti-Virus, IE 6 Compatability Problems
One reader discusses the connection between security holes, anti-virus software and Windows OS:
It is important to realize that AV makers got started by leveraging the same vectors into the kernel that hackers do.
When Vista hit the streets, Microsoft closed those vectors so effectively that AV makers could not get in! Microsoft was forced to give in and open up the vectors used by AV makers because, unlike non-monopolies, Microsoft cannot do anything that stinks of locking out competition. (Which is, of course, what competition is all about.) In short, Microsoft has (well, had) built protections into Vista that made AV software all but unnecessary!
With Windows 7, Microsoft has taken a different tact. This time, Microsoft is competing directly with AV vendors by offering its own free consumer (Microsoft Security Essentials) and not-so-free professional (Forefront Client Security) AV tools.
-Marc
Here's one reader's thoughts after Doug asks you if you have had any IE 6 compatibility issues in your shop:
We still have a few issues with browsers other than IE6. One of them is our Siebel platform; it will not function on IE7 or IE8. To get around this I'm now having Siebel run as a published app in Citrix so that the workstation can run a newer version of IE while Citrix publishes IE6.
We have one other application from AT&T called Route-It which is a client install going out via port 443 that seems to be having issues with the new browser and is not supported on anything other than IE6. Fortunately it is only installed on one machine. It's possible a browser setting needs to be changed -- we're just now starting to look into it. Also, Route-It has a Web version, but because of its inefficiency, the user is requesting the fat client for better performance.
Aside from that, most of our other apps seem to be doing fine on a beta of about 20 people running IE8 at my site. We're planning on rolling out to another 20 this week, and then to another 500 or so computers next week due to the success of the beta.
-Travis
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/26/2010 at 1:17 PM