4 ms·

This doesn’t seem like an evidence point to shrug off: > It talks about an old bug Previous behavior is highly predictive of future behavior. The point about t

This doesn’t seem like an evidence point to shrug off: > It talks about an old bug Previous behavior is highly predictive of future behavior. The point about the web server was not just that is was improperly secured, but that it was done to bypass a user facing pop up in Safari. This kind of decision tells the reader something about company culture.

bwb 7y ago
They admitted they made a mistake and fixed it. The software itself works better than anything else on the market. What else do you need from them? :) I understand being wary, that never hurts, but the company is doing good things and apologized and fixed it.
- chrisfinazzo 7y ago
  I vaguely remember Zoom back when the story about their clandestine web server came to light, but quickly forgot about it when they patched the bug. Now that it's back in the news as one of the only companies who might financially benefit from COVID-19 (their stock is up significantly, last I checked), they seem to be everywhere. I've seen some large news orgs using WebEx, but that's probably not new for them as they need something that's really enterprise-grade and won't go down on a whim. To that end, why has Zoom caught on so much this time around? iOS has FaceTime and Android - at least Google variants - have Hangouts. They're system apps, and everybody already has credentials sorted out. Does anyone know Zoom's relative marketshare before this hit?
  - cosmodisk 7y ago
    I wouldn't use Hangouts even if I'd have to pay for it. A lot of users went for this because they were already familiar with their meeting software ( over the last 5 years,I only had maybe one meeting that used Hangouts,the rest were always Zoom). I must admit it's more user friendly than MS Teams as well. In the end,it does work and does the job well enough without havit to train people for 5 hours on it. It's incredible how few companies manage to get it right on such a software.
    - chrisfinazzo 7y ago
      My point about the built-in apps was there is no training required. These things do the basics, generally work without any fiddling, and are supported well beyond what an outside company can do, even if it's your core business. Meh, maybe I'm just getting old in the my 30's and trying to use less software if I can help it.
      - lonelappde 7y ago
        Can you help me install FaceTime on my PC? How do I find the dial-in phone number for a FaceTime call?
        chrisfinazzo 7y ago
        If your "PC" is a Mac, sure, go nuts. Nit: "PC" as in Windows PC is weird, Linux exists too, before you even consider macOS. Dial-in numbers!? Where we're going we don't need a conference "bridge" because there isn't really a server sitting in the middle between you and all the other people on the call.
  - bwb 7y ago
    The estimate I see is they had 19% market share prior to this, they were already doing really well before this.
  - lonelappde 7y ago
    Zoom is cross platform and doesn't require an account. FactTime and Hangouts are walled garden systems that aren't competing in the same market.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
manigandham 7y ago
Dropbox also patched system files on Mac OS to improve their integration. HN is a highly skewed audience. 99% of business users don't care, they want software that just works, and the trust is well placed in companies that sell software licenses (not your data) and fix security issues quickly.
- lotsofpulp 7y ago
  All companies sell data at some point. Just need the cash flow to get dire.
  - manigandham 7y ago
    No they do not. Most data is utterly useless outside of the original company. It's also protected by increasing privacy and security regulations. And there's no magical broker you just call up to sell it to.
    - threatofrain 7y ago
      That’s true but I know people who sell and buy data, and it comes at different price tiers and quality.
      - manigandham 7y ago
        That doesn't support the statement that "all companies sell data at some point."
        threatofrain 7y ago
        I’m talking about the magical data market.
        manigandham 7y ago
        Sure, there's some shady folks trading some spreadsheets for $20. No multibillion-dollar company trades data that way.

bwb 7y ago

They admitted they made a mistake and fixed it. The software itself works better than anything else on the market. What else do you need from them? :) I understand being wary, that never hurts, but the company is doing good things and apologized and fixed it.

chrisfinazzo 7y ago
I vaguely remember Zoom back when the story about their clandestine web server came to light, but quickly forgot about it when they patched the bug. Now that it's back in the news as one of the only companies who might financially benefit from COVID-19 (their stock is up significantly, last I checked), they seem to be everywhere. I've seen some large news orgs using WebEx, but that's probably not new for them as they need something that's really enterprise-grade and won't go down on a whim. To that end, why has Zoom caught on so much this time around? iOS has FaceTime and Android - at least Google variants - have Hangouts. They're system apps, and everybody already has credentials sorted out. Does anyone know Zoom's relative marketshare before this hit?
- cosmodisk 7y ago
  I wouldn't use Hangouts even if I'd have to pay for it. A lot of users went for this because they were already familiar with their meeting software ( over the last 5 years,I only had maybe one meeting that used Hangouts,the rest were always Zoom). I must admit it's more user friendly than MS Teams as well. In the end,it does work and does the job well enough without havit to train people for 5 hours on it. It's incredible how few companies manage to get it right on such a software.
  - chrisfinazzo 7y ago
    My point about the built-in apps was there is no training required. These things do the basics, generally work without any fiddling, and are supported well beyond what an outside company can do, even if it's your core business. Meh, maybe I'm just getting old in the my 30's and trying to use less software if I can help it.
    - lonelappde 7y ago
      Can you help me install FaceTime on my PC? How do I find the dial-in phone number for a FaceTime call?
      - chrisfinazzo 7y ago
        If your "PC" is a Mac, sure, go nuts. Nit: "PC" as in Windows PC is weird, Linux exists too, before you even consider macOS. Dial-in numbers!? Where we're going we don't need a conference "bridge" because there isn't really a server sitting in the middle between you and all the other people on the call.
- bwb 7y ago
  The estimate I see is they had 19% market share prior to this, they were already doing really well before this.
- lonelappde 7y ago
  Zoom is cross platform and doesn't require an account. FactTime and Hangouts are walled garden systems that aren't competing in the same market.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

manigandham 7y ago

Dropbox also patched system files on Mac OS to improve their integration. HN is a highly skewed audience. 99% of business users don't care, they want software that just works, and the trust is well placed in companies that sell software licenses (not your data) and fix security issues quickly.

lotsofpulp 7y ago
All companies sell data at some point. Just need the cash flow to get dire.
- manigandham 7y ago
  No they do not. Most data is utterly useless outside of the original company. It's also protected by increasing privacy and security regulations. And there's no magical broker you just call up to sell it to.
  - threatofrain 7y ago
    That’s true but I know people who sell and buy data, and it comes at different price tiers and quality.
    - manigandham 7y ago
      That doesn't support the statement that "all companies sell data at some point."
      - threatofrain 7y ago
        I’m talking about the magical data market.
        manigandham 7y ago
        Sure, there's some shady folks trading some spreadsheets for $20. No multibillion-dollar company trades data that way.