4 ms·

I still can't understand why they added the "feature" in first place. Sure, automatic execution of setups and the like is very convenient, but even a small "are

by BoppreH 16y ago

I still can't understand why they added the "feature" in first place. Sure, automatic execution of setups and the like is very convenient, but even a small "are you sure you want to run this" dialog would have closed the security hole most times.

statictype 16y ago
but even a small "are you sure you want to run this" dialog would have closed the security hole most times. I doubt this very much. People will just click through it each and every time.
callahad 16y ago
> I still can't understand why they added the "feature" in first place. I imagine, in the early 1990s, that the user experience seemed extremely natural. Put a tape into a VCR and it starts playing. Put a LaserDisc into a player and it starts playing. Put a cartridge into a game console and it starts playing. Put a CD into a stereo and it starts playing. Why shouldn't a CD you put in your computer start playing?
- BoppreH 16y ago
  Because you don't store personal documents and credentials in your VCR or stereo. Traps for future data collection are also not possible, as far as I know.
  - jbri 16y ago
    Back when autorun was implemented, there wasn't any realistic way of getting those off a system even if you did compromise it through autorun.
    - jarek 16y ago
      To underscore this comment: the first release of Windows 95 shipped without an email client, a web browser, or a TCP/IP stack.
    - BoppreH 16y ago
      They can still be erased or tampered.
- thought_alarm 16y ago
  Well, when you insert a tape into a VCR you still have to hit PLAY before it does anything. Not that there's anything wrong setting your computer to automatically play a CD. But it's not about audio, it's about software. Starting with Windows 3.0, Microsoft's approach to Windows OS usability involved hiding the file system from the user. Autorun is merely an extension of that philosophy. It allows Microsoft to hide a CD-ROM's ugly MS-DOS file system from the user. An alternate approach is to make the file system less ugly.
  - jbri 16y ago
    What user-unfriendly VCRs did you use?
    - thought_alarm 16y ago
      RCA SelectaVision. It had a wire remote with a nice big play button.
  - jarek 16y ago
    Hiding a device's filesystem from the user would later prove to be a relatively unpopular solution. </sarcasm>
    - ericd 16y ago
      Mostly for geeks, who really weren't who they were designing for.
  - nitrogen 16y ago
    Most VCRs I used would automatically play tapes that had the anti-erase tab removed (such as commercially prerecorded movies), but would require pressing play if the anti-erase tab was present to avoid losing position on a tape with recording in progress (e.g. one used for time shifting multiple episodes).

by BoppreH 16y ago

statictype 16y ago

but even a small "are you sure you want to run this" dialog would have closed the security hole most times. I doubt this very much. People will just click through it each and every time.

callahad 16y ago

> I still can't understand why they added the "feature" in first place. I imagine, in the early 1990s, that the user experience seemed extremely natural. Put a tape into a VCR and it starts playing. Put a LaserDisc into a player and it starts playing. Put a cartridge into a game console and it starts playing. Put a CD into a stereo and it starts playing. Why shouldn't a CD you put in your computer start playing?

BoppreH 16y ago
Because you don't store personal documents and credentials in your VCR or stereo. Traps for future data collection are also not possible, as far as I know.
- jbri 16y ago
  Back when autorun was implemented, there wasn't any realistic way of getting those off a system even if you did compromise it through autorun.
  - jarek 16y ago
    To underscore this comment: the first release of Windows 95 shipped without an email client, a web browser, or a TCP/IP stack.
  - BoppreH 16y ago
    They can still be erased or tampered.
thought_alarm 16y ago
Well, when you insert a tape into a VCR you still have to hit PLAY before it does anything. Not that there's anything wrong setting your computer to automatically play a CD. But it's not about audio, it's about software. Starting with Windows 3.0, Microsoft's approach to Windows OS usability involved hiding the file system from the user. Autorun is merely an extension of that philosophy. It allows Microsoft to hide a CD-ROM's ugly MS-DOS file system from the user. An alternate approach is to make the file system less ugly.
- jbri 16y ago
  What user-unfriendly VCRs did you use?
  - thought_alarm 16y ago
    RCA SelectaVision. It had a wire remote with a nice big play button.
- jarek 16y ago
  Hiding a device's filesystem from the user would later prove to be a relatively unpopular solution. </sarcasm>
  - ericd 16y ago
    Mostly for geeks, who really weren't who they were designing for.
- nitrogen 16y ago
  Most VCRs I used would automatically play tapes that had the anti-erase tab removed (such as commercially prerecorded movies), but would require pressing play if the anti-erase tab was present to avoid losing position on a tape with recording in progress (e.g. one used for time shifting multiple episodes).