Microsoft issues its biggest-ever security fix | Hacker News Reader

Microsoft issues its biggest-ever security fix

reuters.com

15 pointschanux10 comments

>Microsoft addresses record 49 flaws in its software

The number matters? Read the changelogs for some software; you can see hundreds of "flaws" fixed between some minor revisions.

How does one measure "flaws" anyway? Buggy LOC (in the millions)? Things which can be fixed atomically, without interacting with each other? Files which have binary patches applied? Binary patch chunks? The number is worthless! If anything higher numbers are worse, because it means they likely sat on some while others were being worked on.

I'm still not sure how to feel about usage of the word geek in the mainstream press, such as 'The geeks who report such vulnerabilities to software makers are known as "white hat" hackers.'

What on earth is wrong with it? It's minimally perjorative, relatively accurate, and covers a wide swath of people. Better than any other term they've used that I've seen.

Think of the ichthyologists. I'm sure they like it when people call them ichthyologists, but most of the world has no idea what exactly that is and how it's different, so in the news we just call them scientists or biologists.

You could also say "persons" or "people".

I lean towards "humans". And I nominate "humen" to be the plural form, as "humans" sounds weird.

But then you'd have some of the population calling themselves a collection of humyn.

Back on topic: I still find both 'nerd' and 'geek' to be offensive. Although I don't find "geek chic" to be offensive... probably because it has never been associated negatively - it has always been a label for a particular style, which in itself carries no meaning.

Hah! Good point, hadn't thought of that one. Was trying to come up with some way the genderists could be offended.

I think the guideline might be based on that "geek" has historically been a negative label, except where applied internally (as many negative labels do). So when paired with a non-existent or neutral phrase, it takes negative connotations, while when paired with a positive phrase it becomes a new "thing", and no longer holds the negative slant.

The mainstream press cares more about the terminology they use for describing terrorists than they do about the words they use for security researchers.

When the icthyologists also gain a history of being circus freaks and get a more general term applied to them - say, "nerd" - then it would be a similar term.

Personally, I don't find it offensive, but there are plenty of people who have had it applied to them offensively who could. It's still a charged word - give it another decade or two.

It sounds pejorative and a bit belittling in this instance. It doesn't sound professional, and it makes the security researchers sound unprofessional. How about calling them 'computer experts'?

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