It’s pretty well known by now that ZDNet is the CNN of tech reporting. Basically, they’re one big infomercial for the highest bidder. I usually don’t bother with these things. But Dignan’s posting of December 18 is a really good example of yet another MicroSoft shill’s take on the disaster that is Windows Vista.

He uses this handy little Terrorist-Threat-Color-Coded table to show that Mac OS X users should arm themselves and hide under their beds waiting for the impending doom:

Even assuming that these numbers represent anything close to reality, one has to wonder if Dignan recognizes the very significant distinction between a vulnerability and an exploit. We should expect these kind articles to continue from establishments like ZDNet, given that MicroSoft is taking a major hit in Vista sales because it’s not only buggy, but it presents some very real security concerns.

One of the many responses to this posting summed it up quite well when he labeled the article a classic Tu Quoque:

“Tu Quoque is a very common fallacy in which one attempts to defend oneself or
another from criticism by turning the critique back against the accuser. This is a
classic Red Herring since whether the accuser is guilty of the same, or a similar,
wrong is irrelevant to the truth of the original charge. However, as a diversionary
tactic, Tu Quoque can be very effective, since the accuser is put on the defensive, and
frequently feels compelled to defend against the accusation.”

Carry on…