Microsoft Says Other OSes Should Imitate UAC

COA writes "Many Vista adopters find User Account Control irritating, but Microsoft thinks it's an approach other OSes should emulate. Microsoft Australia's Chief Security Adviser Peter Watson calls UAC a great idea and 'strategically a direction that all operating systems and all technologies should be heading down.' He also believes Microsoft is charting new territory with UAC. 'The most controversial aspect of Watson's comments all center around the idea that Microsoft is a leader with UAC, and that other OSes should follow suit. UAC is a cousin of myriad "superuser" process elevation strategies, of which Mac OS X and all flavors of Linux already enjoy. The fact is that Microsoft is late to the party with their Microsoftized version of sudo. That's really what UAC is, after all: sudo with a fancy display mechanism (to make it hard to spoof) and extra monitoring to pick up on "suspicious" behavior.'"

Obligatory

[gunnk]

Microsoft would is trying to make you believe sudo was their idea. Cancel or Allow?

Hello Microsoft

[The Anarchist Avenge]

From TFA: "Why should I be letting my normal user be running as system administrator?" Welcome to the 1980s

sudo

[Inmatarian]

make me a sandwich.

I have a retarded cousin

[Anonymous Coward]

He says cute things too sometimes.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Microsoft "thinks" ...

[unity100]

since when ?

Re:sudo

[sconeu]

$ make me a sandwich
make: *** No rule to make target `me'. Stop.

Make me a sandwich!

[Falkkin]

Why use UAC when a much more intuitive sudo interface [xkcd.com] has already been developed?

Right...

[DarkShadeChaos]

because Unix has a method to do this [that isn't annoying], so we should immediately switch to one that is?
what the hell is security through pop-ups anyway?

Microsoft does have a point...

[Vexler]

...ROT13 *is* easier to manage and deploy.

Re:Obligatory

[HomelessInLaJolla]

If you click "Cancel" an information box is displayed informing you of a patent pending.

I'd Read the Article, but...

[filesiteguy]

...my browser keeps asking me to allow or deny arstechnica...

Re:Make me a sandwich!

[xenn]

you are a sandwich.

Re:news flash

[jellomizer]

My version of DOS has nothing close, Neither do my versions of Windows 3.1, 95, 98, ME, 2000, or XP. A Ton Of OS's dont have anything even remotly close to UAC.

Re:bleh. i give up

[Anonymous Coward]

You are coming to a sad realization. Confirm or Deny? :)

Special Reset Switch for that

[Kadin2048]

We implemented a special switch which allows these functions. It's located inside the computer's power supply, near the big thing marked "1000uF 250V".

In order for the setting to take effect, you have to make sure to press the switch while the computer is running. We've found that using a steel coat-hanger wire (be sure to sand the paint off, first, you don't want it getting into your computer!) passed in through the vent holes in back works well.

Re:sudo

[Anonymous Coward]

What? Make it yourself.

http://xkcd.com/c149.html [xkcd.com]

Microsoft Says Other OSes Should Imitate UAC...

[MarkByers]

... and then they will sue them for patent infringement.

You can't win.

Re:sudo

[roman_mir]

ant doesn't say cool things like that :(

ant me a sandwich
Buildfile: build.xml does not exist!
Build failed

oh, and "ant me a sandwich" doesn't make a good joke either :(

In other news....

[Prien715]

Microsoft Australia's Chief Security Adviser Peter Watson calls UAC a great idea (and wishes everyone had it)

In other news, the Notre Dame football coach thinks his team can win. Local Ford salesman hates Toyotas. Linus Torvalds thinks Linux is great. Christians report having favorable rating for Jesus this year.

MS's Chief Security Adviser is paid to evangelize MS security. This is news?

UAC?

[Akita24]

When did Micro$oft buy the Union Aerospace Corp? Does Id know about this?

Re:Obligatory

[GweeDo]

As sad as this is...the patent is coming from a Mister Gang Wang...you just have to love that!

Wang; Gang (Issaquah, WA)

Re:Microsoft does have a point...

[lelitsch]

But Mcirosoft uses ROT26. It's twice as secure.

Re:Special Reset Switch for that

[MightyYar]

For Mac users, the process is much simpler:

1. Unwrap your iHanger. Don't worry about the paint - it is pre-stripped.
2. Insert the iHanger directly into the wall outlet.
3. There is no step 3!

Re:Or not?

[paintswithcolour]

Of couse when it does crash it helps you learn a foreign language too...'le bouton de reinitialisation'..

It makes me feel, y'know, cultured.

Microsoft and Chickens

[jbrandv]

Microsoft telling others how to do security is like a chicken telling Colonel Sanders how to cook.

Re:sudo

[cthellis]

Cool people are wearing the T-shirt of that comic as we speak. ;-)

Re:Obligatory

[C0rinthian]

I dunno, I defintiely think that UAC is an good idea 'Gong Wong'

Re:Obligatory

[mjwx]

Prior Art.

I've been calling Windows users IDIOTS for years.

This is clearly an infringement on my patent, Microsoft consider yourselves served.

Re:UAC == *TERRIBLE* Security Idea!

[xenocide2]

I don't think seniority holds much here. You could disagree with me I suppose, but it wouldn't be very consistent :P

Re:UAC == *TERRIBLE* Security Idea!

[smoke]

first post!