MSDN Subscriber Forced to use Passport 327
Dear MSDN subscriber,
MSDN® Subscriptions is pleased to announce that the MSDN Subscriber Download Web site at http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscriptions/resources/ subdwnld.asp will soon be upgrading its logon authentication technology to Microsoft® Passport.
Microsoft Passport provides personal authentication services that make it easier for you to navigate between Web sites, and makes it faster and more secure for you to make purchases online.
Beginning in late June, the MSDN Subscriber Download Web site will prompt you to sign up for your personal Passport and associate your current subscriber record to this Passport. After signing up, access to MSDN Subscriber Downloads will be easier, faster, and more secure.
For complete details, and to sign up now for your free Microsoft Passport, please visit http://www.passport.com.
Sincerely,
The MSDN Subscriptions Team
http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscriptions
CT: So, if you want to write code under windows, you must use Passport. Or not use MSDN. And lets face it, if you develop under windows, you must buy MSs tools, and you sure can't use those tools without their docs. Times like this I just sorta throw my hands up in the air and say wow. How long before MSNBC requires it? Windows? IE? Your Visa company works with Microsoft Money, so you can bet that sooner or later, you'll need passport to balance your checkbook and credit cards. Paranoid delusion? Of course not. Windows XP will link my complaints to all sorts of helpful sources of information on medication that can be used to calm my delusions, or the numerous sites that exist to mock me or slashdot, thus undermining my credibility and making me seem like a crazy man to any onlooker.
Ok, I'm obviously exagerating. But you still gotta be a little wary.
If it's for your JOB use JOB info. (Score:5)
So use your JOB info. What is there to 'compromise'? e.g., all software here is registered to "Software Development", company name, company address, company tel#, company email.
Why do you care that MS wants your non personal info?
No no no (Score:5)
No one is stopping you from obtaining a subscription [microsoft.com] to MSDN. This gets MAILED RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR.
The ONLY thing the above is saying is "If you want to download some stuff that we've only made available on the web, you gotta get a Passport". This is like saying "If you want to use Hotmail, you gotta get a Passport".
Does this mean you have to have everything from your Mother's maiden name to your pet's favorite food in there? NO.
I'm an intern for MS, but I'm not trolling here. And since I'm an intern, I barely have an impact on my own group let alone MSDN.
So? (Score:5)
--
Re: i feel your pain (Score:2)
we're 100% MS here, and getting more so all the time,
Hmmm, sounds like you were taught the Intel Pentium-style mathematics. Do you go crazy when people say f00f too? :-)
Re:I swear I read about this somewhere else alread (Score:2)
Heh, that's funny since I just heard for the first time last night the version of Madonna's "Justify My Love" where she is reading from Revelations throughout the song.
What're you gonna do?
-l
That's bad too (Score:2)
It's a compromise. What's riskier: your one passphrase being guessed or your passphrase storage being hacked.
__
Re:So? (Score:2)
That'll be the one they tattoo on our foreheads, right?
Re:An analogy (Score:2)
Re:-1, Flamebait (Score:2)
Were they ever? I thought the problem was that getting stuff to work with MS stuff was so difficult that it required a lot of technical expertise.
Re:no it's called digital angel (Score:2)
Err (Score:3)
Need cypherpunk coordination? Cookies? (Score:4)
Well... they'll track your useage anyhow, and also know that your company exists. Moot point for MSDN anyway, but Passport links up with lots of other things. Who knows what else it will do in five years?
Microsoft aren't reknowned for letting invasive ideas languish, and caving in at any point is useless. You don't pacify a crocodile by tossing it steaks.
How aboute a website somewhere listing logins?
One still needs cookie control. On Linux, that's easy, redirect web traffic to a local proxy that strips cookies, both in headers and in URL. What about on work machines etc?
Microsoft want to take your freedom and replace it with multiple choice. In particular:
Easy answer (Score:2)
MSDN Subscriber downloads, are not. They are something that is a SUBSCRIPTION, that you pay for.
Lets call 'em (Score:2)
It wouldn't get us anywhere, but it would be funny and annoying to microsoft!
Re:It's either forced compliance or forced lying (Score:2)
Yeah I did too. But after going through alot of registations on the internet, I got used to it.
I never did, I just just didn't have anything to do with those companies/sites that tried to force me to do such things, and it never hurt me a bit. Oh, but you do have to quit programming for windows to do that, that's a choice each programmer has to make for themselves.
So there are your options: descend to Microsoft's level by taking part in the lie, or quit and do something else. Fortunately, that something else is quite a lot of fun, never mind the morally correct part. ;-)
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passport = hotmail account (Score:2)
First Name: Gail
Last Name: Wynand
Country/Region: United States
State: Kansas
Zip Code: 66044
Time Zone: Central Time
Gender: Male
Birthday: January 1 1978
Occupation: Computer related (Internet)
Does anyone want to guess how much of this is true?
And now does anyone want to tell me WTF the big deal is about? Who cares if they require a Passport Profile in order to download stuff? There's nobody standing over your shoulder when you fill in the profile.
Re:It's either forced compliance or forced lying (Score:2)
Caution: Now approaching the (technological) singularity.
Re:$300 dollars isn't that much (Score:2)
Caution: Now approaching the (technological) singularity.
Re:What's the fuss? (Score:2)
--
Suggestion (Score:5)
Name : C. Montgomery Burns
Address: 666 Mammon Lane, Springfield, USA
Phone: KL5-3226
Company: Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
--
Re:Uhm, guys, (Score:3)
BTW, does anyone else remember getting a sinking feeling back when MS acquired Hotmail?
So register as foobarbazquux@hotmail.com (Score:2)
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Re:Frightening thought (Score:2)
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Some logic.... (Score:2)
To get an MSDN subscription, you *have* to tell microsoft all this stuff about you anyway, so they already know it, right? You can't just get MSDN anonymously.
And they want you to authenticate with them when you sign in, right?
What's wrong with doing so with passport? You don't *have* to use it for anything else if you don't want to.
Credit Info. (Score:2)
The accompanying contract I received when I was sent the card said that my only responsibility was to report to them if the CARD was stolen, or any fraudulent charges, and they would be refunded.
I have done so in the past with no problems.
So really, I don't *care* if some site is compromised and they steal the banks credit card... all I am inconvenienced by is one phone call to tell them my card has been compromised, and to send me a new one. IT's the banks' problem, not mine.
People should quit spreading the myth that credit card info is somehow your personal asset... it's not. This is not on the same level as somsone stealing your cash.
And you've *already* given the MS people your info, how else did you get an MSDN subscription in the first place?
Well. (Score:2)
You do have one point; if you rely on your credit card for your date at the restaurant, this can be an inconvenience. That's one reason for carrying two cards I guess.
Also, if you find your credit company is not extremely easy to deal with on the phone, low hold times, polite and prompt answers to your questions, then cancel it and get a new one. YOU are their customer, and they know it.
Also.. why do I have to give passport my credit card number? I don't.
Re:$300 dollars isn't that much (Score:3)
Re:So don't use Windows. (Score:2)
It's either forced compliance or forced lying (Score:5)
I despise click-throughs that give me the choice to "register now" or "register later". I have to lie because there is no "don't register" choice. I have to agree to license agreements where part is written in a language I don't speak. When I click "Agree", it's another lie. How can I agree to what I don't understand. Some writer wrote an excellent column on that, but I don't remember who.
I'm a Windows programmer for a living and I use MSDN. But I will not create a real Passport account. Again, I will lie, as much as I hate it. The only choices they give are unpalatable. Even worse than their monopoloy, even worse than their licenses, they make you comply, lie, or do without. When they're the only source of Win32 documentation, what's the choice going to be? I hate it.
MSDN (Score:2)
All of the docs are up on the web [microsoft.com], and you don't need to pay to access it either, MSDN is mostly 'extras' that you don't really need, but that do come in handy (new versions of OSs, new API toolkits, SDKs, etc)
Hotmail (Score:2)
If you have a hotmail account, you already have a passport account.
Dance with the Devil... (Score:2)
The reason IMHO (Score:2)
This is for the MSDN Universal Subscription DOWNLOAD site. For those of you who are NOT in the Microsoft developer world, the MSDN Universal subscription site allows you to download EVERY non game product Microsoft sell, with NO fee beyond your subscription
The problem was/is the site is a simple ID/Password setup. What's to prevent you from using it at home/giving it to a friend, etc? Not much
When you setup passport, your ONLY going to get in with that Passport PC (or maybe at home) - You sure as heck aren't going to give the info out on the net
It's a pure "If you want it, BUY it" move. The MSDN Univeral Subscription is a GREAT buy (at least compared to "Other" Microsoft prices), so they don't want it shared. That $2000 subscription is cheap compared to the individual prices. Think what a copy of W2K Enterprise, SQL2K Enterprise, and a full copy of Visual Studio cost "retail" and then look at that 2K Price again
Completetly missing the big picture of Passport (Score:2)
By doing this, they are going to artificially grow their user base by leveraging the web monopoly, which was leveraged from their browser monopoly, which was leveraged by their OS monopoly. This is illegal, because it prevents new entries into the market. It reduces choice and increases the amount of control that a single corporate entity has over the population.
Technology is so complicated that the general populous has no idea what they're doing. Things like this don't get nearly as much attention as political activity but the reprocussions will eventually have just as much impact on our lives. Once the user base gets large enough, they are going to claim the largest membership numbers for this type of service, and will convince other corporations that they have to get on board to survive. It's a perpetual cycle until someone slaps their ass down.
All of this is concerning because it's obvious that Microsoft has no self-control in terms of how far they will go to establish things like HailStorm and Passport. They don't want to bother with whether consumers actually want these services. It's easier to just sign a bunch of deals and use various other corporations to do the enforcement. Some people claim that Passport is a natural way to log into various Microsoft services, and therefore shouldn't be questioned. Trojan horse, folks! Microsoft wants other sites to adopt Passport [passport.com] . Do you think they're give a damn when an ActiveX control is required to log in?
The most important issue here is one of scale. All of this behavior wouldn't be nearly as big of a deal if Microsoft wasn't already a hulking juggernaut. Implementing a prioprietary authentication service isn't dangerous if your company isn't that big. It's up to the market to decide if it's worthy to be adopted. But when you're as big as Microsoft you can force standards on people whether they want them or not.
- Scott
--
Scott Stevenson
WildTofu [wildtofu.com]
Re:passport = hotmail account (Score:2)
Re:Ahh MS, Always Thinking About Their Customers. (Score:2)
Re:Grow up Taco (Score:2)
Grow up Taco (Score:3)
i) You don't need Passport to get MSDN, or develop for Windows. MSDN subscriptions are delivered to your door (or office) and you use them from there. There is no reason to access the downloads unless you NEED the latest and greatest betas right now.
ii) If you've signed up for MSDN, and signed up online for the downloads then you've already given Microsoft all the information you need to create a passport account anyhow - where's the issue here?
iii) You can create separate passport accounts for home and work. Only give work info (which is all you should do with an MSDN subscription anyhow) to Passport for the downloads.
Now I know that these three things probably got lost in the rabid frothing and knee jerking, but at least you should consider them sometimes, please?
Microsoft does bad things at times, but just because Microsoft does something doesn't AUTOMATICALLY make it bad. You've been given a brain - use it.
Editorial committee (Score:2)
Prior art (Score:2)
The way Windows is put together, you'd swear it was the same editorial committee...
Xix.
Just maybe.... (Score:2)
Dave
Re:You got it all wrong (Score:4)
You, sir, are either an AOLuser or a Micros~1 intern being paid to FUD here, and I claim my 50 quatloos bounty.
Either that, or I'm too old for this modern world of .NET. When I was growing up, I distinctly remember everyone I've ever respected in the field of computer security - from my high school "computer programming" teacher who let me h4x0r the school assignments assembly, to the BOFH at university who let me run "crack" distributed-style on the school's shiny new Sun workstations because I was nice enough to ask him first, to my cow orkers, all saying "Never use the same password for more than one system, because if one system is compromised, the other ones will be too".
So don't use Windows. (Score:5)
Also, you don't need MS's development tools to do Windows development.
You can use the (free) Cygwin/MinGW32 or Borland C/C++ compilers if you like.
You can use any of a plethora of non-MS languages, like Java, Perl, Python, Delphi and lots of others.
QT, GTK, wxWindows are all good, cross-platform toolkits for Windows, your comment about needing Windows development tools to develop on Windows is plain wrong.
I'm not denying that MS tools are the most widely used and convenient tools to use for M$ development in an M$-only environment, but to say you have no alternative is just plain wrong.
What youre complaining about is the fact that your employer requires you to use M$ tools.
So get your employer to get a single Passport and then all developers at your company use it. When you perform work for your company, you represent that company, not yourself personally.
M$ is free to use any authentication scheme it likes with it's web services.
Its not news that M$ is a giant corporate entity that abuses its monopoly power to screw the consumer and lock them in so it can keep screwing them, but you have, and always have had the choice not to use their products.
Why is MSDN using MS authentication service bad? (Score:5)
Maybe I'm missing something, and I'll get flamed to hell about this. Why is this a shocking or bad thing?
Before, in order to get special developer downloads, you needed an account with some other Microsoft Authentication service, right?
With this announcement, you need an account with some new Microsoft Authentication service.
Why is a Passport account so much more horrible then the old-style MS Authentication service?
MSDN is a division of Microsoft. It's pretty expected that a large company like MS would want to use a centralized authentication service. It's not like MS is using some strongarm tactics to muscle some non-MS business to use the Passport service (At least, not in the MSDN example).
Re:Uh, what again is the problem? (Score:2)
I do sympathise with those who can't hide behind a corporate environment and secretary
-1, Flamebait (Score:2)
I know /. has been down due to a router problem recently, so I guess I missed the article where it was decided that "MS Developer" and "technically savvy" are no longer mutually exclusive terms ;-)
Re:What personal info? (Score:2)
If you answer their questions. I just tell them I'm homeless and hand them my cash - haven't been refused a sale yet.
Re:Taco's a bit paranoid... (Score:2)
I don't blame Microsoft … (Score:2)
Microsoft did the bully work to clear vast tracts of Cyberspace of troublesome natives and trees, and if you want to build there, you can't reasonably complain when Microsoft puts Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, etc. on the currency. Either get your Passport account or stop sharecropping with Microsoft. There isn't a single thing that you can do with a Microsoft computer that you can't do better with a competing product, whether it's a Sun server, an Apple desktop, or Linux or BSD on just about any hardware. All Microsoft can offer you is their big bland market. If you want that, then fine, but don't kid yourself that you get to keep your soul.
Re:I swear I read about this somewhere else alread (Score:2)
<P>
Try <a href= "http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&a mp;q=Revelations+13%3A17+buy+Microsoft">searchi ng</a> on
Google for 13:17 and Microsoft!
<P>
I like <a href="http://www.river.org/~buttrfly/vp54.html"&g
who cannot make moral decisions."
<P>
And <a href="http://hometown.aol.com/discipledave/book/B
about how an implanted chip will be sold to the
masses by describing how much freedom they will have
to make purchases anywhere with unlimited credit.. If an MS Passport chip comes out call me and I'll scream.
No alternative for device drivers (Score:2)
You don't need to login to the subscriber site (Score:3)
As another note. You used to have to log into the MSDN site and fill out a little questionaire just to access the documentation. In this respect Microsoft has gotten better at respecting thier customer's privacy.
This insn't the MSDN docs, you can get those (Score:4)
As for developing with Non-MS tools, I'm sure it works great for applications, but if you're developing device drivers, you pretty much have to use Visual C++. I've heard of people trying to use other compilers, but I haven't heard anyone say they've had a lot of success.
Let's stamp passport out of existence (Score:2)
Microsoft Interns spoke before thinking (Score:2)
What's happening is that "special access" is being grated to those people who sign up for passport. On the surface, this is entirely harmless, even a mutually beneficial idea. This is not a "anti-microsoft" rant, but an issue of forced privacy violation. You could choose to not sign up, and choose to miss out on developer info, so in that sense it is voluntary. But don't bet your boss is going to take it so lightly when you explain to him why you weren't able to access MSDN online. The information age has brought with it many creative ways of collecting and extorting personal and private information from private citizens for the benefit of the corporate world.
You're right. (Score:2)
They'll need more info than that to ensure that "people who did not pay cannot get access" see point "two" below...
two: They sell access to the MSDN downloads discussed. Somehow, access to these downloads must be authenticated so that people who did not pay cannot get access. Passport does authentication as is required here. Using their own system for authentication is entirely reasonable, makes sense, is easy for all involved.
The system being used violates the privacy of those who use it. If an individual who uses Passport for authentication elsewhere now uses it for authentication to MSDN online, Passport can develop a profile, similar to one that doubleclick's network is able to comprise through banners on multiple websites.
Some people pointing this out _are_ MS employees, some are simply more intelligent and more rational than the majority of the idiots posting to this story. Taco started the rot: but no-one actually expected reasoned discussion from him, his command of the language can easily be demonstrated to be patchy at best. What's your excuse?English is my third language. In spite of this, my mediocre mastery of the language has not caused me to engage in personal attacks on anyone, nor generalized character assasinations.
Re:You're right. (Score:2)
My point precisely. You need more than just a login and a password. You need, at the very least, the database of paid subscriptions, which can reasonably be expected to contain names, addesses, perhaps even payment information.
Re:You're right. (Score:2)
Re:In the words of Hal Hoffenkamp: Uhh.. no. (Score:3)
FACT : They own the information.
FACT : They can choose whether or not to share it with you.
FACT : If they choose to place conditions on any sharing which may take place, you can either accept the conditions of p*** off.
If microsoft decided that only people who sent in a photo of themselves covered in lowfat mayo were allowed access to the MSDN site, that's totally within their rights. Sure, I wouldn't want to be working in their mailroom, but it's totally their right.
What's the fuss? (Score:5)
Don't worry. You may not like the idea now, but you'll be one of Us soon.
FUD me harder /. (Score:5)
I don't remember references to World Domination (TM) and Revelations when AOL required me to get an AIM user ID once they purchased Netscape. I also know lots of people who complain about the fact that ICQ and AIM don't interoperate even though they by the same company. Quite frankly, the less logins I need to maintain especially to websites owned by the same company, the better. Does CmdrTaco also complain about the fact that Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Finances, Yahoo Groups (formerly eGroups) and Geocities use the same ID?
This is probably one of the bigger non-issues picked up by Slashdot in recent history. This of course, makes more serious allegations become overlooked when there actually is something to complain about.
--
Not forced to use passport? (Score:2)
It looks to me like you can keep using the old method if you wish to forgo the supposed benefits of the 'passport'. At least it is ambiguous enough to check out before getting upset.
Re:FUD me harder /. (Score:2)
Re:It's either forced compliance or forced lying (Score:5)
PASSPORT IS JUST A SECURE ID NUMBER THAT MS CAN TRACK YOU BY.
This given, fill out the passport page with the EXACT SAME info that is in your MSDN subscription. Now the Passport ID will match the MSDN subscription. You will be 100% compliant and not have given any personal info that you hadn't already given.
Basically MS wants to have a single infrastrutcture for indentification. That does not mean they need a single ID for each user. It is so much easier if every single site that MS owns can have its data stored in the same way and identified in the same way.
Basically this is a privacy non-issue because you have already given MS the info for the MSDN subscription and that is ALL that needs to be transfered to the passport. Bam now 2 ids say the same thing. Eventually MS will discontinue the MSDN subscription id and the passport will be all that points to that MSDN account. Quit spreading fud and start looking to understand what is necessary.
Also quit bringing up the whole lieing issue because its fully unecessary to lie in this situation.
Main remember that its not 1 passport per person or 1 person per passport. Its just an id number like the one you used originally.
but there's a problem (Score:2)
Any VAR/ISV that codes for income today on MS is taking big chances on their financial future.
Linux/GPL might have a certain amount of headaches to deal with, but Netscape and Oracle both had closed source code at one point and were able to deal with GPL issues.
Linux may not seem like a big money maker today, but I believe it will be an incredible tool for VAR/ISVs down the road
The customer can install the base system on as many machines as desired without threatening letters from the MS licensing department -- making things so much easier for the VAR/ISV.
No more upgrade hassles! It's free.
Treatment, not tyranny. End the drug war and free our American POWs.
Not true (Score:2)
There is no 'forcing', it's just that they switch over to another authentication system. I won't comment on yuor last paragraph since that makes totally NO sence at all
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Erm.. you don't get it, do you? (Score:3)
What's the big f*cking deal? Both are Microsoft servers, both do the same thing. And before anyone is crying along, people who want to customize their MSDN site, already HAVE TO register with passport since last year.
Anyway, it's for access to microsoft software, to download that software. Hmmm... Sounds like an interesting topic for an open source developer, not?
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So you lied to your creditcard company too? (Score:3)
Exactly: they track whatever you do with the card. Build databases with it, run OLAP queries on it. But you did know that, didn't you? So when you wanted a creditcard, you lied with bogus information so they couldn't use the info they gathered from your usage of the card. Oh wait, then you can't succesfully USE the card.
I don't get it when you complain about the passport account you have to create, when you get the MSDN cd's mailed to your doorstep and had to pay for these cd's with probably that creditcard mentioned above. What do you think will happen when you give out REAL information? Will they kill your family ? torture you to give them your creditcard? No. Just less than what happens when you purchase something with your creditcard at wallmart.
Think about it.
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Re:Look at it without the anti-microsoft glasses (Score:2)
Uhm, guys, (Score:2)
Only fill out what is absolutely critical (like an email address). Be creative with the rest. I'm sure if enough do this, it'll totally screw up the statistical data they are compiling.
I don't see the panic here... (Score:2)
Second, not that I'll protect microsoft, but I'll surely won't protect over-reaction as well, they are a buisness, how many pirate copies of MSDN and especially how many of you people that didn't pay zit ever got hold of a FTP password to get the latest winXX build? That's blattant piracy, bandwidth chocking and let's face it, evil. Some will argue that being evil with E-vil is good, I won't get into that argument, but if linux would be on top of the food chain and do the same thing, I'm sure most of the people whining here would put the same energy saying how good it is and how good it is to use the technology developped, not just let it sit somewhere.
Microsoft has it's flaw, heck credit cards and banks had their, I remember when people could mass-order stuff from mail-order catalogues and never get caught, that was WAY worse than my info being shared to x and y... because most of the credit card companies wouldn't take the cash hit and the buyer was left screwed. I'd take my personnal info being shared any day over being frauded (yeah I know, my info being shared could POTENTIALLY lead to me being frauded too... but still, weight the balance to some extent).
Now by identifying every users, I'm sure the downloads won't be overcrowded like I recall when win2000 was beta. Plus, I didn't read the passport rules, but I'm sure you can create a 'corporate' (create a msdn@company.com) email account for your company and if you don't want YOUR info being spread out.
I hope you live in the US (Score:2)
For users outside of the US, Microsoft still owns all your data sent through Passport. [theregister.co.uk]
Re:It's either forced compliance or forced lying (Score:2)
Re:Passport billed my credit card (Score:2)
(Credit card companies HATE shady merchants.)
Re:If it's for your JOB use JOB info. (Score:3)
...
Why do you care that MS wants your non personal info?
The problem is that Passport will collect your surfing habbits, no matter what "non personal info" you give them. At some point, you will give some real info to a site you didn't think was associated with Passport, and boom. :*)
So you need very good control over your cookies. Usually, they are associated with the user (on the client machine). Meaning you have to use a different local account to surf Passport-sites (or at least MSDN), or a different browser. The latter is probably the easiest as Microsoft's sites usually "works best with IE", and nobody uses IE for real surfing, right?
M.
Or use lcc-win32 (Score:2)
Yes, I know it's only a C compiler, but you'd be surprised how coding in the Win32API instead of MFC can speed up and un-bloat your code.
The only contact with MS you really need is to download the PSDK, which so far has been free and anonymous, and even then the PSDK is just nice to have, not essential.
Passport randomizer service (Score:2)
Dear future mindslave (Score:2)
Dear future mindslave,
MSDN® Subscriptions is pleased to announce that the MSDN Subscriber Download Web site at http://msdn.microsoft.com:666/subscriptions/resour ces/papers/help/assport/isnt/this/a/really/conveni ent/snappy/and/easy-to-memorize/url?subdwnld.asp will soon be downgrading its logon authentication technology to Microsoft® Assport.
Microsoft Assport provides personal authentication services that make it easier for us to track your every move, and makes it faster and more secure for you to sell your pathetic little soul into our custody.
Beginning in late June, the MSDN Subscriber Download Web site will prompt you to sign up for your personal Assport with a friendly little 110v electric shock through your keyboard and associate your current subscriber record, social security number, credit card number, favorite web sites, and embarassing personal habits to this Assport. After signing up, access to your personal information will be easier, faster, and more secure for our flying monkeys.
For complete details, and to sign up now for your free identification barcode/tattoo, please visit http://www.assport.com.
Sincerely,
The MSDN Acquisitions Team
http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscriptions
Re:FUD me harder /. (Score:2)
However, its pretty clear that Microsoft wants passport to be the standard. Its a big deal when they make it so we have to use passport, whether we like it or not.
The company you work for is engaging in forcing its customers into buying upgrades. MS is putting its weight into things like enforced registration for the new XP products [zdnet.com] and threatening audits of customers it suspects of piracy [slashdot.org]. Passport is innocent until you consider the company behind it.
FUD me harder indeed. Do you think Microsoft is creating a free service because it so benevolently wants to do something nice for the web community? Please. They are going to sell the data they collect. Your data. My data. Nowhere in the passport.com privacy statement says they won't.
The sad thing is, they won't increase revenues by these efforts. They will just lose customers
Re:I'm well out of it (Score:2)
maybe easy, maybe not.
I have had nothing but problems with passport (Score:2)
My Previous Response with Rebuttal (Score:2)
Oh, but that isn't true, is it???
I Could Opt Out, but only by opting out of MSDN...
*sigh*
Oh! Make sure you read the rebuttal where I was told I was Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. You know, it's like the inmates defending the warden. What a total brainwashing some people undergo!
Every time some idiot defends MS, I wonder what sort of upbringing they experienced. I bet their Dad beat them a lot, and convinced them that they deserved it.
Re:I swear I read about this somewhere else alread (Score:2)
Re:Look at it without the anti-microsoft glasses (Score:2)
Enigma
Re:Uhm, guys, (Score:2)
I am tempted to fill in my home page info as that goat page.
In fact the idea of a having the Passport database filled with dummy accounts pointing to perverted sites, all in the name of mr gates amuses me. They have to be able to document more than one person with the same name, right?
Check out the Vinny the Vampire [eplugz.com] comic strip
I swear I read about this somewhere else already.. (Score:5)
"And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
-Revelations 13:17
how are the telescreens suppose to know who we are (Score:2)
Freedom is slavery and doubleplus-uninnovative. While ingorance is strength and doubleplus-innovative. As a member of the insoc-MSDN party we need a way for the MSN telescreens by apple-compaq-hp-IBM corporation to know who we are so clippy can contact the MS marketing department(aka thought police).
Think about how doubleplus-inovative MS is. We can go actively explore on the internet and communicate and access everyone on messenger with the MSN telescreens and excel in life. We also need to turn in thought criminals to the ms department of Love(aka marketing). So that they can actively inform their double oldthought ways to active newthought ones and excel in their thinking.
Also your comments are not only counter revolutionary but also are in oldthink and oldspeak which are doubleplus-ungood. You need to use the right active words in your office when you write such things.
With Passport you can go to any Microsoft approved website and all the data can be accessed because the data will be integrated. Just look at what happened when Microsoft took over the whole IT industry. Expect the sameplus active results when Microsoft takes every oops leads online transaction and every service concievable known to man on the web. I just can't wait. THe insoc-MSDN party clearly says that our lives our actively better now. Especially those in the inner-MCSE party.
Think double positives when your doublewrite in double oldthink.
Re:Look at it without the anti-microsoft glasses (Score:2)
Re:So? (Score:2)
Re:Lets call 'em (Score:2)
Re:So register as foobarbazquux@hotmail.com (Score:2)
Socks
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington DC 20500-0003
Remember to always use ZIP+4 codes!
Re:So? (Score:2)
Seriously, things only change when the powers at be are somehow inconvenienced. (e.g. personally affected by said law, unable to get re-elected because of it, etc.)
Uh, what again is the problem? (Score:2)
As has been said before-- you can sign up using your WORK information on a seperate freemail account (or, use a specially created work account (eg: If you work at fud.com, and your real account is john.doe@fud.com, then make a new account-- msdn_john.dos@fud.com, and use it for Passport)), viola, no problem with personal info or tracking to other sites you visit on your personal time.
Secondly, CT makes a stink about Microsoft using Passport-- what again is the problem with this? I'd rather have them using and trusting their own technology than trying to sell it to us without using it themselves (as has been the case with certain Microsoft owned servers running Apache even though MS has IIS and pushes IIS to the masses).
Finally, if you really are a Win32 developer or WinCE developer or whatever, you DON'T have to use Microsoft tools-- Borland (and other companies, Metrowerks comes to mind) make compilers for Microsoft based operating systems. If all you want are the SDK's for developing software under Windows, you can STILL download the entire PlatformSDK either over the web using their smallish installer, or download the entire mess from ftp.microsoft.com/developr/platformsdk/ [microsoft.com], just pick a recent release and download the entire CD contents (FYI: There's a Jun2001 directory, but it's currently empty as I write this, but the Feb2001 is REALLY recent, and deals with some recent additions with Windows XP Beta 2). Other SDK's I think you can grab via FTP too, but I'm not so sure.
In a nutshell, this isn't a major development, it's not new (I bought Encarta Deluxe 2001, and signed up for the online version (free with the deluxe purchase), and Encarta uses Passport to validate your access), and it's a damn good idea. I'd like to see some other competitors in the "authentication of user identities" biz though, but I don't know of any off-hand that are this well established and easy to use..
Maybe making one or two too many leaps... (Score:2)
Then you get passports being illegal in Maryland [slashdot.org] and quite possibly Europe too [slashdot.org].
So, does this mean that Microsoft tools are now no longer on sale to ... well basically any state or nation who won't bend over the Microsoft way? And is this Microsoft's way of punishing those places for their terribly naughtiness or a case of Microsoft putting so many policies in to effect they've just accidently closed themselves off to what's starting to look like the majority of code developing states and nations?
what the hell? (Score:2)
uhh....hmm...we're not AOLers here. We should KNOW BETTER than to give out ACTUAL INFORMATION.
Plain COMMON SENSE.
assport.com (Score:2)
lupus@blue#whois assport.com
.com, .net, and .org domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.
Whois Server Version 1.3
Domain names in the
Domain Name: ASSPORT.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, INC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
why do i find this so funny?
--saint----
Microsoft has proved untrustworthy... (Score:2)
"... Microsoft has proved untrustworthy in the past."
-- U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson is his order in case No. 98-1232 [gpo.gov].
$300 dollars isn't that much (Score:3)
Trolls throughout history:
Taco's a bit paranoid... (Score:4)
But that doesn't stop you from using your ultimate response to any and all registration systems: lie. Lie as much as you can! Lie discordantly! Click female sometimes, male others, enter your race as an albino nepalese scotsgaelic neanderthal from northern Peru, and by all means give them false contact information. If we want to avoid the possible ramifications for misuse of our personal information, then we've got to give false information. Don't be a demographic, be ALL demographics! Nobody said you had to be truthful when asked a question. If MS needs your real name and real MSDN subscriber id, give them...but everything else in your passport should be clever fibs, abominations and halftruths. I like to build unflattering portfolios of people who bug the shit out of me at work.
After all, it won't take much worthless information for MS to drop this whole shenanigan and go to something useful (like an incredibly lightweight key based system...let's introduce PKE to the masses). Marketeers always get theirs in the end when they promote something this annoying...hence, the dotcom bust.
Look at it without the anti-microsoft glasses (Score:5)
But as for the reference tools, that IS all available free, without having to log on via passport, over the web.
What isn't told is that if you are a subscriber of MSDN, you already have given them your information when you sent them your check. As for employees having to divulge your information, big deal. I have to do that all the time. I give my company address and company phone number and nothing else.
Let's keep this in perspective please and not have "the sky is falling" rants just because the person doing it is microsoft. There is no effective difference between logging in via Passport or directly to their websites. They could share the information either way. Again, let's keep perspective. Try downloading something from Oracle, Sun, or Sybase. Each time I've downloaded from one of these companies they've wanted information.