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Microsoft to add 'black box' to Windows
Ina Fried, Special to ZDNet
In a move that could rankle privacy advocates, Microsoft said on Monday
that it is adding the PC equivalent of a flight data recorder to the next
version of Windows, in an effort to better understand and prevent computer
crashes.
The tool will build on the existing Watson error-reporting tool in Windows
but will provide Microsoft with much deeper information, including what
programs were running at the time of the error and even the contents of
documents that were being created. Businesses will also choose whether
they want their own technology managers to receive such data when an
employee's machine crashes.
"Think of it as a flight data recorder, so that any time there's a
problem, that 'black box' is there helping us work together and diagnose
what's going on," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said during a speech at
the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Seattle.
For consumers, the choice of whether to send the data, and how much
information to share, will be up to the individual. Though the details are
being finalised, Windows lead product manager Greg Sullivan said users will
be prompted with a message indicating the information to be sent and giving
them an option to alter it, such as removing the contents of the e-mail
they were writing when the machine crashed. Also, such reporting will also
be anonymous.
"Our stance on this is that the user is in control," Sullivan said. "In
the consumer environment, you will be presented with a dialog that clearly
gives you the choice whether to share the information and then also
provides exactly what the detail is so you can parse character by
character what's being sent."
With businesses, however, IT managers typically set the policy. If they
wanted total information, they could configure systems so that they'd know
not only that a user was running Internet Explorer, for example, but also
that he or she was watching a video from ESPN.com. Or, they might find out
not only that a worker was running Instant Messenger but also that he or
she was talking to a co-worker about getting a new job.
And consumers could have a tough time knowing just what information they
were sending. Though they'll be able to see the contents of a document,
they may not recognise the significance of the technical data -- such as
register settings -- that's being sent.
Industry analyst Richard Doherty said he doubted Microsoft got enough
feedback on how users might feel about such a feature. Even airplane
pilots, Doherty said, have been able to keep from having their routine
in-flight dialogue preserved. Microsoft's version of the black box,
Doherty said "is begging for more real-world testing."
But Sullivan pointed out that businesses can already install third-party
software to monitor workers' computer usage and some do.
He also said that in the present incarnation of Windows, companies have
fairly fine control over what crash data they receive and what information
gets sent on to Microsoft. With the new black box feature, he said,
companies will simply have "more detailed management ability of the
reporting infrastructure."
With the information it does get, Microsoft could, in theory, identify a
problem the first time it appears and push down a patch so that no other
person encounters the error. Microsoft also shares some data with other
Windows developers to help them improve their products. However, Sullivan
acknowledged that the day when an error only crops up one time and is
fixed is still a long way off.
"Will we ever get to once? No," Sullivan said. "That will remain the
goal."
Microsoft also plans to step up the amount of information Windows users
get when they send an error report to the company. With Windows XP, the
software leviathan has begun sending information back to consumers, though
the data tends to be fairly generic. Microsoft is trying to get to a point
where it can send back specific details on the problem and how to fix it.
"We're going to take steps toward that," Sullivan said. "It remains to see
exactly how far down that path we get."
