[LINK] Identity theft virus infects 10,000 computers

[Kim Holburn]

On 2006 Aug 16, at 7:21 AM, Craig Sanders wrote:

> On Wed, Aug 16, 2006 at 02:51:34AM +1000, Rick Welykochy wrote:
>> Currently, the dollar total of losses and expenses due to shoddy
>> software and security break-ins (think zombie boes for example) on
>> Microsoft systems must run into the $$$ BILLIONS for businesses and
>> individuals combined.  Society would benefit as a whole if Mickeysoft
>> were forced by law to provide more secure software.
>
> yes, well, they are claiming that their software is of merchantable  
> quality,
> and they are taking good money on that premise.

You know that's an interesting point.  People selling software make  
claims for their software, including that it is "of merchantable  
quality".  Much FOSS makes no such claims.  I have often thought that  
our (and of course the U.S.) "advertising" society creates  
litigation.  When you have a "company" making only "positive" public  
claims about their product then it really invites and creates an  
industry of litigation to balance those claims.  If a product was  
advertised like:  "We think our product is OK and does the job  
adequately but it's not as good as we'd like and could be dangerous  
used the wrong way", it would be much harder to sue.

>> Now, how such a law fits FOSS is quite debatable. Perhaps the law
>> would apply to the copyright holder(s) of the software in any case.


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Kim Holburn
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