Group hugs and Microsoft bounties (Thu, Nov 6, 2003)

For strange humor and maybe true confessions -- and nothing to do with programming -- grouphug.us has become a favorite site lately. Almost makes me want to write something of my own, like "I hate to admit it, but I am an SCO Advanced Certified Engineer (ACE) and Authorized Instructor." If nothing else, at least that was in the days when SCO was just a slow-moving technical company, and not just a group of lawyers trying to make money.

In other news, Microsoft's announcement yesterday that they will pay a "bounty" of $500,000 to people that turn in virus writers is very interesting. As a person that was considering buying Microsoft stock, I am now wary of that idea for the following reasons:

  • This is a signal/ackowledgement that Microsoft can't stop viruses/worms in the short term.
  • They also don't see a long-term way of stopping these people.
  • These attacks must be taking a toll on their business and/or their reputation.

Because of these reasons, and the fact that their stock is the only stock I have lost money on this year, I don't think I will be buying their stock again for a while.