Follow-up on EVE's Boot.ini Issue 169
Krinsath writes "CCP, publishers of Eve Online, have posted a Dev Blog detailing the circumstances leading up to the deletion of XP's boot.ini file, which was earlier discussed on Slashdot. The blog post has intimate details about how the mistake occurred (a new installer from their normal one), how they responded and what CCP has learned from it. While fairly dry, it is to the company's credit that they're being open about one of the more serious bugs to crop up in gaming's recent history."
That's actually a really straightforward response. (Score:5, Insightful)
How is that even possible (Score:5, Insightful)
"Why doesn't Windows protect its system startup files? That's a good question, one that I have asked myself in these last few days and wish I knew the answer. But of course I'm not going to blame Microsoft for our mistake. Windows doesn't protect those files and therefore software developers must take care not to touch them. We should have been more careful."
That is a good question. I am not an EVE player myself so I don't know if this update had to be run with admin privileges but it doesn't appear to be that way from the question and reply. If you are not running as admin then how is it even possible to remove a system file that is necessary to boot the system. Unlike the EVE representative making this statement I am going to blame Microsoft, it should not be the developers responsibility to make sure they don't break the OS, it is the OS developers responsibility to make sure that it cannot be broken without admin/system/root access.
-Buck
Re:Straightforward, sure.. but... | also, the bug (Score:4, Insightful)
That's a good point. And generates some good advice for future student/gamers: Do not install any new software of any kind a week or two before a paper is due*
*at least, not without having some kind of back-up which can be read and worked on on another computer and which you regular test.
That sounds like the the opposite of a good way for delete to fail.
Re:How is that even possible (Score:5, Insightful)
Two things to note:
Re:Straightforward, sure.. but... | also, the bug (Score:1, Insightful)
It would be dumber to keep a dissertation on a single system with no backup, than to distribute a game with an installer that deletes a file.
Re:Straightforward, sure.. but... | also, the bug (Score:1, Insightful)
what if in those few hours (if you're not familiar with Windows at all and don't have a boot or rescue disk, etc. etc.) you needed access to those files? Do you file away every new e-mail to an external drive ready to be taken to the nearest computer cafe in case your machine goes wonky? I doubt it.
Re:How is that even possible (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Straightforward, sure.. but... | also, the bug (Score:1, Insightful)
as mentioned in another post - it's not so much the point that you don't have access to the file forevermore.. clearly you can get access back to it. It's that for whatever amount of time between that cockup and your getting things back up and running - you do not have access to it. To some that may not be particularly important, to others it could very well be. And yes, I know, if your data/etc. is so important, one shouldn't be installing games on it anyway - right?
Re:Straightforward, sure.. but... | also, the bug (Score:2, Insightful)
We don't expect hardware vendors to provide anything more than a replacement when thier products fail and I don't see why software should be any different.
Re:Straightforward, sure.. but... | also, the bug (Score:3, Insightful)
There are more games to be played against other players than just fleet battles. You can fight alliances on the market by crashing it for their goods.