Thanks StimpyX for posting this in our Back Page News section of the forums. In an email message to the company"s 40,000 employees Wednesday, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates announced a major strategy shift across all of the company"s products that will emphasize security and privacy over new features. Gates described the change as "trustworthy computing," and said that it was now the company"s highest priority. Microsoft has come under fire in recent days for the number and severity of the security and privacy problems in its products.
"This is more important than any other part of our work," the email reads. "If we don"t do this, people simply won"t be willing--or able--to take advantage of all the other great work we do. When we face a choice between adding features and resolving security issues, we need to choose security. Our products should emphasize security right out of the box."
Interestingly, employee compensation and bonuses will now be tied to how secure their products are, probably the clearest sign that Gates is serious about the new plan.