[mdlug] The new "surface" computer

[Joseph Vartanian]

On 7/17/07, Ingles, Raymond <Raymond.Ingles at compuware.com> wrote:
> > From: Garry Stahl
>
> > >     I have no idea why anyone would consider that a "good" feature...
>
> > It might be tinfoil hat thinking, but as much as MS likes to poke into
> > "MY" computer this function does not surprise me at all.  The better to
> > hide their "offical" spys.
>
>  Actually, I think this can be attributed to stupidity rather than malice.
> Macs use a second data stream in a file to good effect - the "Resource Fork".
> (The regular data is called the "Data Fork"). The "Resource Fork" can contain
> things like dialog box definitions, internationalizable strings, and so forth.
> There was a tool called "ResEdit" that would let you play with them; you could
> change the sounds an application made or whatever.
>
>  MS put the capacity in NTFS, but never really came up with a use for it.
> A lot of their stuff is like that, just features to list in marketing
> brochures.

Actually, they do have uses for this feature.  MS SQL Server 2005 uses
ADS (alternative data streams), as does MS Exchange Server 2003.
Yeah, ADS may be scary, but they do use it for something.  I can't
tell you who outside Microsoft has a legitimate use for ADS, but at
least we know Microsoft has a use for it.  I'm sure other companies
use it, I just don't know who...never cared to find out.  If you're
twisted and like to consider spyware, trojans and rootkits as
legitimate uses, then there's that too.

-Joseph