So, I found out that Daryl Welsh is working on the Xbox 360's backwards compatibility feature.
No wonder most of my collection doesn't work yet on the 360. The people in that area must be scared stiff to experiment and try anything that won't work 100% of the time for fear of getting bitch-slapped down to the minors...
August 12, 2006
August 11, 2006
[Security] Visual Studio bundled with Windows?
I'm still trying to finish up my post regarding region locks, but I saw an interesting article over at Ars Technica today...
Will Visual Studio ever ship with Windows?
...and even just reading the headline, my initial response was, "I hope not." Let me explain.
Over the last several years, Microsoft has been bundling more and more features with Windows. Unfortunately, a lot of what was added increased what was called the "attack surface," or the parts of Windows that were exposed so that hackers could work their way into your system.
Right now, Microsoft is making a conscious effort to reduce the attack surface for Windows. Microsoft is removing some commonly used controls because of the security holes that they present. While this is going to lead to some short term pain for developers, it is a win in the long run for security.
Visual Studio is perhaps the most attractive point of attack that a hacker could use, specifically because of the rights associated with debugging.
Let's say that I'm a hacker, and that I'm going after a user that doesn't have admin rights on his box. I'm going to be very limited in what I can do on that box by default, but let's say that this user is automatically added to the "Debugger Users" group. Suddenly, while I may not be able to do much to this box, the amount of information I can get from this box dramatically increases. Essentially, any process that I'm allowed to attach to for debugging purposes is now open to give me information.
I can see the wonderful attacks using MSBUILD and the ITask interface now...
No, leave Visual Studio as an optional install. The .1% of people who care about Visual Studio are generally the people who are better able to determine whether they want to accept the inherent risks.
Will Visual Studio ever ship with Windows?
...and even just reading the headline, my initial response was, "I hope not." Let me explain.
Over the last several years, Microsoft has been bundling more and more features with Windows. Unfortunately, a lot of what was added increased what was called the "attack surface," or the parts of Windows that were exposed so that hackers could work their way into your system.
Right now, Microsoft is making a conscious effort to reduce the attack surface for Windows. Microsoft is removing some commonly used controls because of the security holes that they present. While this is going to lead to some short term pain for developers, it is a win in the long run for security.
Visual Studio is perhaps the most attractive point of attack that a hacker could use, specifically because of the rights associated with debugging.
Let's say that I'm a hacker, and that I'm going after a user that doesn't have admin rights on his box. I'm going to be very limited in what I can do on that box by default, but let's say that this user is automatically added to the "Debugger Users" group. Suddenly, while I may not be able to do much to this box, the amount of information I can get from this box dramatically increases. Essentially, any process that I'm allowed to attach to for debugging purposes is now open to give me information.
I can see the wonderful attacks using MSBUILD and the ITask interface now...
No, leave Visual Studio as an optional install. The .1% of people who care about Visual Studio are generally the people who are better able to determine whether they want to accept the inherent risks.
August 9, 2006
[SiN] Personality Challenge System
For the hell of it, I threw together a personality test for "SiN Episodes."
This isn't one of those "what character are you" tests. This one just tries to humorously figure out where your challenge sliders should be set to when you play the game.
If you've got a minute to spare and want a small chuckle or two, give it a shot.
This isn't one of those "what character are you" tests. This one just tries to humorously figure out where your challenge sliders should be set to when you play the game.
If you've got a minute to spare and want a small chuckle or two, give it a shot.
August 8, 2006
[Personal] Guard Bunnies
(click for larger version)
I keep my original launch team Xbox at the office. Obviously, something like that requires crack security.
So, I've got Ryo-Ohki, the most dangerous space pirate ever to grace the small screen, powered-up by the Fez of Gaming Power; Bun-Bun, psycho bunny with a switchblade; the small white rabbit from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail;" and Lain from "Serial Experiments: Lain" all on guard.
I have nothing to fear.
[Piracy] Titan Quest Publisher On Piracy
Michael Fitch is one of the Creative Managers over at THQ, and he wrote a fascinating post over at the forums on QuarterToThree.com about the support headaches generated by the pirated copy of "Titan Quest."
My favorite quote in the thread isn't from him, however, but from Qmanol:
My favorite quote in the thread isn't from him, however, but from Qmanol:
I don't like copy protection and all, but really, complaining about games that are buggy due to a bad hack by the pirates? That's like complaining that the electronic keypad lock you smashed with a crowbar let you through the door, but electrocuted you, so people shouldn't put locks on their doors.
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