In fact, in at least two recent cases, governments have refused to install 
Windows XP because of this situation.  I'm told that Microsoft graciously 
agreed to sell them Windows 2000 as long as they pay the price of Windows XP.

There really is no question about the technical facts; just turn on a sniffer 
while you are installing XP.  What Microsoft does with or intends to do with 
it is, of course, another matter.  From the customer's viewpoint Microsoft's 
intensions make little difference, because if circumstances dictate Microsoft 
can change their policies, and/or the government can impose policy changes.

I'm not saying this is likely to happen (nor am I saying it is unlikely; who 
knows?)  It is, however, certainly possible.

On Wednesday 04 September 2002 22:01, Curt Sampson wrote:
> On Wed, 4 Sep 2002, Actually davidchr wrote:
> > It would be stupid of us to knowingly put a backdoor into Windows
> > or any other MS product. A very large percentage of our customers
> > reside outside the USA, and many of them don't trust US Companies as a
> > rule. If we added backdoors to our software, we'd lose those customers
> > (probably forever), and losing customers is not high on our priority
> > list.
>
> The back door is already there. When installing some recent service
> packs, we are required to accept a license that allows you to,
> without notification, make arbitrary changes to our computers, including
> disabling software.
>
> The back door itself may not be active right, but you've explicitly given
> yourself the right to activate and use it.
>
> cjs

-- 
-----------------------------------
Seth Kurtzberg
M. I. S. Corp.
1-480-661-1849