Holy Fucking Shit!! Windows comes to ATM Machines!!!!

[Xeen]

According to the 10th paragraph in this article, US ATM machines will be running Windows in 2005!
I pray to God that this is either false or they change their minds. Otherwise I'm withdrawing all my money from the banks come 2005.

[mobrien_12]

Another article on the same topic.

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60497,00.html

WHY would they want windows???

[Fett101]

you could read the article.

 

quote:a platform they consider "open" in that it is compatible with their internal corporate networks. Also, it's so ubiquitous that they can add features to all their ATMs without having to write multiple pieces of code for different machines.

 

quote: "What Microsoft actually sells to the banks for ATM use is a cut-down version of Windows that doesn't contain things like Web servers," said Ross Anderson, a researcher in Cambridge, England, and author of Security Engineering. "They have tried to cut out the unnecessary rubbish that clutters up the typical PC. How good a job they've done, I just don't know.... So we definitely can't rule out the possibility that someone in the future writes a Slammer-style worm that causes thousands of ATMs to start spewing out cash."

 

quote: He pointed out that the machines would not operate online and therefore would not become vulnerable to a malicious Internet attack or to some virus passed around in an e-mail attachment. Because the machines have no peripherals like floppy disks, it would be difficult for a cracker to install code or steal information.

[hm_murdock]

Let's think about something:

Will they be running "Microsoft Windows" or will it be "Powered by the Windows Engine"?

Remember, there's things that are windows powered that don't actually run Windows. Take Pocket PCs for instance. They run the Windows core, but the files that make up their OS are NOT related to the desktop and server versions of Microsoft Windows.

The XBox is the same way, it runs a close cousin of Windows 2000's kernel, but it doesn't run Windows 2000. There's no desktop, and no shell, no Win32 APIs.

If these dudes want to run Windows, then that's shitty. If they want to build a custom solution around the NT kernel, that's not so bad.

Remember, just as Linux is a kernel, and the other files are the "distribution", NT is just a kernel, and the other files make up a packaged release.

[flap]

quote:Remember, just as Linux is a kernel, and the other files are the "distribution", NT is just a kernel, and the other files make up a packaged release.

Not really. "Windows NT" is the name of the operating system, not the kernel. "The NT Kernel" is just a kernel, but "'NT" is an OS.

[hm_murdock]

Actually, "NT" is more ambiguous than that. NT meant simply "New Technology". The NT-based Windows was supposed to supplant the DOS-based Windows by 4.0 (but Windows 95 was Windows 4.0, while NT 4.0 was far from as friendly as 95)

The proper name for the current windows kernel is the "Windows Engine", and it's what gets used in everything from XP to Server 2K3 to Windows Mobile, to the XBox.

[cahult]

Here in Sweden the ATMs are already running Windows. Haven

[mobrien_12]

quote:Originally posted by Fett101:
you could read the article.
 

I did read the article.  I think the "openness" argument is bull.  I want to know their true reason.

[TB]

quote:Originally posted by M. O'Brien:


I want to know their true reason.

Call me cynical or paranoid, but it seems fairly obvious that M$ is attempting to further integrate itself into every aspect of society? First it was US Homeland (In)security, now I have to deal with billy everytime I need some cash? Shit, it's bad enough that banks in Australia are purging staff like bad burritos. (going a bit OT here) And what really sickens me is my bank's reassurance that sacking one TENTH of its workers is actually going to improve customer service. Fuck that for a joke.

OK, I think I'm done blowing off steam for now.