ZDNet: The bug syndrome: Get used to it

“So some enterprising hacker had a hot time with Hotmail,
striking momentary panic into the hearts of 40 million or so
subscribers… The news was good for a few headlines but quickly
disappeared off the radar… until the next time…”

“You’d assume the sundry security breaches and e-mail exposures
that now occur at regular intervals would put pressure on the
powers-that-be to change. But the fact of the matter is that
vendors have been shoving junk into the market — without suffering
any consequences — long before the Web ever entered the popular
lexicon.”

“The delicious irony is how the offending parties invariably
waltz away without paying a penalty. In the Hotmail episode,
Microsoft didn’t even bother to apologize and the stock price
didn’t tank. At most, the company suffered a minor public relations
setback.”

“More often than not, smart PR teams can turn logic on its head
and spin what should be an enormously embarrassing occasion to the
company’s advantage — something along the lines of, ‘Hey, we care
about our customers and this is proof positive of our commitment to
quality.’ “

“Imagine what might come to pass if the nation’s bridge builders
applied the same modus operandi: ‘Whoops there goes another one —
but not to worry, version 1.1 will be crash-free.’ “

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