Microsoft To Distribute Third-Party Patches

dhiren writes "Secunia on Wednesday announced that their authenticated internal vulnerability scanner, the Corporate Software Inspector (CSI) 4.0, has been integrated with Microsoft Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) and System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). This will hopefully pave the way for other vendors to also make use of Windows' existing patching infrastructure and eliminate the need for the multitude of custom updater applications and services that clutter most systems today."

Oh just call it

[LordKaT]

Oh, just call it a package manager and get over it. Your fancy words don't make it better.

Ah, a new attack vector

[Animats]

Now we just have to break into one of the machines allowed to submit updates to be pushed, and we can rule the world!

Re:About time!

[bmo]

The Wikpedia says that dpkg came out in 1993.

So Microsoft is only catching up after 17 years.

--
BMO

Really?

[KGBear]

This will hopefully pave the way for other vendors to also make use of Windows' existing patching infrastructure and eliminate the need for the multitude of custom updater applications and services that clutter most systems today.

Or just go to Linux, where most distributions have had something like this for over a decade now. The worst part is, I'm sure I will star hearing from Windows people how fantastic the new "innovation" is...

Small Piece of a 1,000 piece puzzle.

[Mekkah]

It's just a small piece of the pie. When they open it up to some other major players I'll be impressed.

It's not like this is a new concept, get with the times; it is for the security of your OS for christ sakes. Maybe cut down on why OSX or whichever OTHER OS anyone can name has such a virus advantage on you, if even slightly.


Oh and Yes I understand what Secunia entails, but it's still small.

Re:About time!

[jedidiah]

It's not about copying, it's about sandbagging.

Microsoft as a monopoly gets to drag it's feet for years and years while it's end users suffer.

Some of us are still holding a grudge over that 10 year wait for 32bit and proper GUIs.

They dragged their feet on proper multi-tasking too but then again so did just about everyone else...

Re:About time!

[mweather]

In case you haven't heard, the entire history of computer technology has been copying and adding to someone else's idea.

Yeah, but most companies do it in a timely manner, not decades after the fact. This is akin to a cell phone company 20 years from now releasing their first touchscreen phone.

Re:Oh just call it

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

No way buddy. It is going to come in so many editions:

• Absolutely Basic Package Manager
• Expanded Basic Package Manager
• Funeral Director Edition Package Manager (third from the bottom of pricelist!)
• Anything Less Would not work Manager
• Ultimate Home Edition Package Manager (clueless user Special)
• Professional Ultimate Package Manager
• Ultimate Professional Package Manager with Downgrade to Ugrade Option Bundled
• Super Ultimate Professional with Multimedia Expansion Package Gamer special Package Manager
• Absolutely Super Ultimate, this time really really Ultimate Gamer Professional Home Maker Special Edition Package Manager

Re:About time!

[ircmaxell]

It isn't the fact that they copied the idea. It's the fact that it took so long to do so. I mean Windows has been through how many revisions since Up2Date (Yum's predecessor) and APT have been around? Since at latest 1999 (I'm sure there were earlier, but I know they existed in 99). And in that time, MS released XP, Vista and 7 (as far as desktop OS's go)...

Re:Oh just call it

[Anonymous Coward]

Except you cannot install or remove programs from this. So its not a package manager.

Misleading summary?

[trifish]

Does anyone have any link that would confirm that Microsoft actually did anything besides allowing a third party to use an API? The summary tries to make it sound like Microsoft uses (integrates) some Secunia stuff now.

The article certainly does read like a Secunia ad.

yes

[fulldecent]

This is a good thing, if done properly.

It's also part of why people generally smile when they use their phones and frown when they use their computers.

Re:Oh just call it

[Runaway1956]

"you can upgrade every application on your computer with a single line in the command line."

Even better:

aptitude safe-upgrade

Because, sometimes, upgrading EVERYTHING breaks obscure dependencies. ;^)

Re:About time!

[Runaway1956]

200 distros? Really? Confining ourselves to Linux - I think there are a half dozen root distros, with dozens of derivatives from each.

There are three main package managers, one of which will work with almost any distro you choose.

I know - half the people in the world can't decide what color socks to wear today, so they only buy black socks, or white socks. Some of the rest of us buy both black and white, and mix and match according to mood. Some daring individuals actually buy COLORFUL socks, and manage to keep up with the pairs.

The point is, not everyone is retarded.

Re:Compare?

[Anonymous Coward]

WSUS is more like the apple updater then an actual package manager. microsoft almost exclusively releases patches with windows update, only very few applications are deployed that way (live essentials, powershell, thats about it)

Re:Oh just call it

[anshulajain]

Probably just an update manager then, if not a package manager, right? Linux-based systems have had this for ages. Microshaft now rolls out some fancy, business-jargon pimped up SCCM, Linux vendors should hit M$ over the head with this in the press and trade journals.