On 12/11/2009 03:16 AM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , MEB
writes:
On 12/10/2009 08:46 AM, 98 Guy wrote:
For those of you that want to use various Win-2K updates from Microsoft
and apply them to your Win-98 system, this update package has been
designed to bring together all those various updates and install them
automatically.

You know %^&% well these also subject the users to potential and
ongoing vulnerabilities which are *not* protected via 9X capable AV
and other programs due to the differing operating environments and
expected respective activities. Moreover, *these files* may give users a
false and dangerous feeling that they HAVE secured their systems, when,
IN FACT, they have added to the potential and/or now unknown real
vulnerabilities.

I agree, he should have perhaps added some warning to that effect, but
he knows he doesn't need to as you will do so for him. (I just _knew_
what the next post I would see would be!)

Does this set of fixes actually ADD to the vulnerabilities of a system,
or just CHANGE it - i. e. could it be that it introduces some new ones
but closes some (while also adding other things, such as a DirectX and a
web fonts update)?

[They're of academic interest to me anyway - I do not have IE of any
flavour on my '98SEl machines, one of which has never been online and
the other does so very rarely.]

[Full quote of original post snipped.]

Good questions. If it were the OSs designed for it might fulfill the
desired effect, *temporarily*. However, there is no "patch Tuesday" or
"zero day" hotfixes for Win9x and these will contain vulnerabilities IN
THE OSs designed, for which updates will be received, Win9X won't.
These are for the interface to the Internet, the browser, waving in the
breeze... or are these supposedly NOT for people using IE6? Then there
is ZERO reason to install them as they patch the last group of supposed
fixes...

Just as the last posted suggested junk from 98 Guy was patched in a
week or so, and is NOT part of a normal Win9X installation {MS XML4}, so
rather obviously they introduce vulnerabilities that wouldn't be there
to start with. NO ONE tests these for 9X vulnerabilities and they DO
introduce new vulnerabilities into the OSs intended.

On the other hand, if you want to *manually* check every day to see if
Microsoft has offered any security or file fixes, AND check for whether
they work in 9X, AND are willing to be a "guinea pig" for any new and
COMPLETELY UNKNOWN 9X vulnerabilities, then sure, install; just don't
expect anyone to be able to help fix your system and don't expect your
software will be compatible... including any malware protection.

Somewhere along the line since EOL, these people lost track of what
they hoped to accomplish, keeping 9X alive... that requires someone
actually test and NOT JUST FOR INSTALLATION, and creation of NEW
browsers and malware programs...

But this was already stated for the most part... WHY you two chose to
post otherwise is the actual question...

--
MEB
http://peoplescounsel.org/ref/windows-main.htm
Windows Info, Diagnostics, Security, Networking
http://peoplescounsel.org
The "real world" of Law, Justice, and Government
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