Windows 7 gets first security update
Microsoft is claiming that Windows 7 will be everything Vista wasn’t. Fast to boot, UAC that actually works and improved performance. At least so far it is faster to boot, so the company isn’t lying on that front. It even runs better than Vista with just 1GB of memory. As better as Windows 7 may be than Vista, it received its first security update.
Operating systems are complex, there is lots of code, and things can go wrong or not be as tightened down as it should be. There is just something very out of place with releasing a security update for an operating system that hasn’t even hit retail shelves yet.
As described by Microsoft article KB958644,
A security issue has been identified that could allow an authenticated remote attacker to compromise your Microsoft Windows-based system and gain control over it. You can help protect your computer by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer. This update is provided to you and licensed under the Windows 7 Pre-Release License Terms.
To be fair, this update is for Windows 7 Pre-Beta so it may or may not apply to the final version. Perhaps Microsoft will make this update as part of Windows 7 final so it won’t be needed.
It wouldn’t be the first time a shiny new operating system has needed updates right out of the box. At one time or another, Mac OSX needed them, Windows XP needed them and there are probably other examples with previous versions.
Is it too much to ask that an operating system not need some kind of critical security update not out of the box? Now things are being patched even before they are released. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this is the end of the world, head to your concrete bunkers now.
It’s okay to head out and buy Windows 7 for upgrade purposes… or just buy a new PC with it when it is released. Your choice. Just be aware that Windows “upgrades” are problematic at best. Buy the full version and do a clean install, it’s the only way to be sure.
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November 22nd, 2008
I really can’t get the point of this post.
One of the problems with early versions of software, besides lacking features not yet implemented is the bug cleaning.
If this software didn’t need more patches then I can assume that is ready for delivery!
Of course that such an early patch will be integrated in the final release, this one, and literaly thousand of other ones. There? no perhaps in such a matter.
Now when you burn dvd’s for sale and find out that at the moment they are being bought more security or other bugs have been discovered, then you might have the kind of problem you are talking about.
Troll!!!