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That makes it certain that I shall not "upgrade" to Windows 8. Nobody is going to press any switches on my computer except me...if I can help it.
The Kill Switch Comes to the PC - Businessweek
A feature common in phones will let Microsoft remotely disable malware.
Janne Kytömäki, a Finnish software developer, was cruising Google’s Android Market for smartphone apps last year when he noticed something strange. Dozens of best-selling applications suddenly listed the same wrong publisher. It was as if Stephen King’s name had vanished from the covers of his books, replaced by an unknown author. Kytömäki realized the culprit was a piece of malware that was spreading quickly, and he posted his findings online...
That makes it certain that I shall not "upgrade" to Windows 8. Nobody is going to press any switches on my computer except me...if I can help it.
I agree with Seekermeister, plus the question is if they can use a 'kill switch' for malware, what else can they do to/with your computer or OS.
Huh, we don't need this nonsense in our computers - there are already a plethora of security solutions available to us. Granted, it must seem alarming if you had the ability to see the hundreds of thousands of bot-infested machines out there, but I still don't think a "kill switch" for computers is a good thing. Especially when it gives black hats yet another way to screw with your system.
Kinda on the fence about kill switches for dumb phones though. My phone is a specialised device, all it does it make messages and calls. If it happened to pick up malware I'd have no idea how to get rid of it. I'd feel happier if I could press a button combo that resets everything to preset factory defaults or something though, rather than having to rely on a remote kill switch.
Bah, people should learn to read. It only applies to application you download from the App Store for Metro. Side loading from outside the App Store will not be affected. So in reality those that are concerned will not be affected because I doubt they would be using metro or the App Store to begin with.
That seems like it could be a bad thing while being a good thing. This will only apply to apps from the Windows Store, and just that. But then again, once that happens, what's to stop someone from reaching even further and killing code that stops piracy without you knowing?...
But I bet Microsoft would inform the user of such as not to seem Big Brothery...
This. That alone should be enough. They can program MSE to allow such code to be disabled. The kill switch will only be a redundant idea. That being said, it's no suprise this is causing a concern because we already have the ability to detect and disable Malware.
What prevents Microsoft to controlling the MS Store with kill switches just like how Apple would?
What prevents Microsoft from controlling the Microsoft Store? How would they not control something they own? I fail to understand your reasoning. Again, this kill switch is only for applications downloaded from the store. Removing a rogue application from the store and victim's computers is a good thing. It will never affect anything outside of the store.
So really...going to let fear and uncertainty drive you?
I'm sure somebody will write a patch, or registry hack, to disable Microsoft's "Kill Switch" as soon as W8 has launched, personally I think the concept is derisory and will put many people off the new operating system...