Microsoft’s .NET silently installs Firefox add-on which increases functionality reduces your security.

I’ve seen this same story, moreorless, in a few places now. I’m disappointed with Microsoft, but I can’t necessarily throw a ton of blame at them. This is a result of the popular clamoring for features, features, features, ease of use, features, convenience, features, and economics. In general, we simply just can’t trust the popular software anymore unless you are an absolute expert in running things smartly (and only the biggest paranoid security geeks do that).

Tech progress hinders security. And it doesn’t help that more people are clamoring for security.

In the short term, this will result in ridiculous needs and demands from the security side and it will not just hamper convenience and business, but it’s going to start killing off business initiatives because the demands are too high.

(Yes, this is the general basis for my past two weeks’ worth of funk…it’ll pass soon!)