Software Information

Hubris - Definition: Microsofts Passport


Before September of 1995, Microsoft ignored the Internet because their 16-bit Windows 3.1 operating system couldn't handle the 32-bit Internet world. With the introduction of Windows 95, Microsoft decided they owned the Internet.

Instead of having separate accounts at dozens of websites, Microsoft decided that you will have one master account that you will use to log in everywhere. That account will contain your credit card number, bank account numbers, all your personal information and financial records, and Microsoft will own that account.

Well, Microsoft IS the United State's government condoned monopoly, so 200 million Internet users, and 100 major web companies dutifully signed up for Microsoft's Passport wallet service.

In 1999, Internet authorities discovered Microsoft's passport service had numerous security holes, and hackers could steal your personal information. In 2001, the Federal Trade Commission admonished Microsoft for not adhering to their own privacy policy. In 2003, Microsoft purged all the financial records from its Passport servers.

Millions of users continue to sign up for Passport because of the convenience it offers. Nearly 100 websites use Passport as their authentication method. Users don't need to remember separate usernames and passwords for each website. They can log in to all of them using a single email address. Some of the websites let you register without a Passport accont, but others, especially Microsoft owned websites, require you to have a Passport account.

If you sign up for Microsoft Network (MSN) or for a free Hotmail email account, you will be forced to sign up for Microsoft's Passport wallet service. You can sign up for a Passport account with a non-Microsoft email account at Microsoft's Passport website.

To sign up, you need only an email address and a password. After you sign up, you can choose to add personal information to your profile. Then you can indicate if you want to share your information with companies that use Passport. If you choose to share your personal information, be aware that Microsoft shares it with every passport website you visit, and those websites are not required to adhere to Microsoft's privacy policy.

The Internet does not need a master account repository for users personal information. Users don't need to remember separate usernames and passwords for each website. Every Internet user has memorized two or three different email addresses and half a dozen different passwords that they use everywhere.

If an Internet master account repositiory is desired, it should NOT be owned or operated by Microsoft. A repository of personal account information must be operated by an honest, independant company.

Note: In April 2000, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled that Microsoft violated two sections of the 1890 Sherman Act. He concluded that Microsoft was an illegal monopoly that used anti-competitive means to maintain its dominance in Intel-based operating systems.

Copyright(C) Bucaro TecHelp.

Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the resource box below is included.

About The Author

To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter visit http://bucarotechelp.com/search/000800.asp


MORE RESOURCES:

Fortune

Oracle Broadens Reach in Web-Based Software
Wall Street Journal
By BEN WORTHEN Oracle Corp. agreed to acquire online-software maker Taleo Corp. for $1.9 billion, its second such acquisition in recent months and the latest sign that the software industry's old guard is embracing a newer model.
Oracle Will Purchase Taleo for $46 a Share in Deal Valued at $1.9 BillionBloomberg
Oracle Embraces the Cloud With $1.9 Billion Taleo DealNew York Times
Oracle paying $1.9 billion for Taleo's HR softwareSan Francisco Chronicle
Forbes -San Jose Mercury News
all 451 news articles »


Tableau Software Positioned as "Challenger" in Leading Analyst Firm Magic ...
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Tableau® Software, the global leader in rapid-fire business intelligence software, today announced that Gartner, Inc. has positioned Tableau as a "Challenger" in its 2012 Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence Platforms* report.

and more »


Software maker Nuance shares plunge on 1Q miss
CBS News
Software maker Nuance Communications Inc. reported late Thursday that its first-quarter net income rose as revenue climbed for its health care, mobile and imaging applications, but its adjusted earnings and revenue fell short of analysts' expectations ...
Nuance Blunt In Earnings MissInvestor's Business Daily

all 31 news articles »


ND software <3794.OS>-2011/12 div forecast
Reuters
Feb 10 (Reuters) - ND SOFTWARE CO LTD PARENT-ONLY EARNINGS ESTIMATES (in billions of yen unless specified) Full year to Full year to March 31,2012 March 31,2012 LATEST PREVIOUS FORECAST FORECAST Annual div 45.00 yen 30.00 yen -Q2 div nil nil NOTE - ND ...

and more »


GrayHair Software releases a dynamic reporting engine to complement its cloud ...
MarketWatch (press release)
MOUNT LAUREL, NJ, Feb 09, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- GrayHair Software, Inc., a leader in solutions for business mailers, announces the release of a ground-breaking reporting engine that expands the versatility and depth of the services offered in its ...

and more »


Home Media Magazine

Video-Game Retail Sales in US Slid 34% in January, NPD Reports
BusinessWeek
9 (Bloomberg) -- US retail sales of video-game hardware, software and accessories tumbled 34 percent in January to $750.6 million from a year earlier, researcher NPD Group Inc. said today in an e-mailed statement. Sales a year ago were $1.14 billion, ...
Videogame Sales Plunge 34 Percent in JanuaryPC Magazine
US video game sales fall 34 percent in January due to lack of new titlesWashington Post

all 111 news articles »


Software Developers Get SaaS-y with Expanded Software-as-a-Service Platform
EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
The software distribution platform allows software publishers to put their applications immediately in the cloud as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering with no development or rewrite effort. “Porting and conversion costs have been eliminated, ...

and more »


Callidus Software Increases Sales but Misses Estimates on Earnings
DailyFinance
By Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool Posted 11:19AM 02/09/12 Investing Callidus Software (NAS: CALD) reported earnings on Feb. 8. Here are the numbers you need to know. For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Callidus Software beat slightly on revenues and ...
Callidus Software to Participate in Upcoming Investor ConferencesMarketWatch (press release)
Callidus Software Slips To Wider Q4 LossNASDAQ
Callidus Software Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2011 ResultsMarketwire (press release)

all 27 news articles »


Raytheon Releases Software Upgrade for Airborne Communication System
MarketWatch (press release)
The enhancement is provided by an upgrade to Integrated Waveform (IW) software, following successful field tests hosted by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). Prior to the software upgrade, this form of radio communications had limited ...

and more »


Quest Software Earnings Preview
DailyFinance
By Motley Fool Staff Posted 1:34PM 02/09/12 Investing Quest Software (NAS: QSFT) hasn't been able to establish an earnings trend, bouncing between beating and falling short of estimates during the past fiscal year. The company will unveil its latest ...

and more »

Google News

Home | Site Map

Powered By: Free Work At Home Business Opportunity!

© 2006