I love this story - a class-action lawyer is threatening to sue Microsoft unless Windows Vista has an unconditional warranty against security vulnerabilities and bugs.  Even the Microsoft-bashers understand that this guy is an idiot.  Security is always a trade-off.  If you’re afraid your car will be stolen, you can lock the doors, you can install an alarm, you can hire guards to watch it, you can never leave your own locked garage, or you can simply not have a car.  The more secure, generally the more expensive and inconvenient, as Dilbert illustrates.  We all know the most secure computer is simply not plugged in.

My favorite reader comment on the above story:

[Will this guy] provide 100% secure legal counsel for every case he argues that will grant his clients 100% victories at all times. I’m interested now in learning what his court record is. *grin* - GoodThings2Life

But really, I smell a business opportunity for Microsoft here.  Complete security is self-evidently unachievable, but warranties are a numbers game, right?  Introducing Windows Vista Unlimited Edition, with an unconditional warranty against damages caused by hackers or bugs.  It’s targeted toward enterprises with at least 100 seats so it requires a 100 seat minimum.  Each seat is modestly priced at, say, $1,000,000.  Microsoft takes half of the $100,000,000 minimum per enterprise and buys nice fat insurance.  It uses part of the remaining tidy profits to fund programs teaching rudimentary computer science and economics to class action lawyers and aspiring politicians.  The rest funds the continuing quest for even greater security and reliability in future versions of Windows that are priced for the mass market.