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It is not realistic to expect a modern supply chain to be completely uninterruptible. The US has large stockpiles of (not very) rare earth metals and there are

It is not realistic to expect a modern supply chain to be completely uninterruptible. The US has large stockpiles of (not very) rare earth metals and there are multiple ways of acquiring them in case China stops exporting. If China ever embargoes rare earth metals, the US can embargo Windows updates. Who do you think will last the longest?

Anarch157a 1y ago
It's much easier to smuggle a USB drive with Windows updates than it is a few tonnes of metal. Then China will switch a billion desktops to Linux and the US will still need rare earths.
- stickfigure 1y ago
  > Then China will switch a billion desktops to Linux Easier than smuggling a few tonnes of metal? Let me introduce you to my elderly parents...
  - deadfoxygrandpa 1y ago
    old people in china don't have computers, they use smart phones
- mothballed 1y ago
  If all the US needs is a few tonnes the cartels can get it done no problem.
- rat87 1y ago
  I run desktop Linux. It's pretty hard to switch a billion desktops to Linux even if you do it one at a time. Not to mention a ton of problems with compatibility and corporate and government IT
  - wakawaka28 1y ago
    The Chinese pirate Windows extensively, and the code has been leaked before. If IP law goes out the window, they will do whatever the hell they want.
Bender 1y ago
the US can embargo Windows updates That's actually a funny and real example. For a long time there was a heat map that showed where the concentration of MSIE 6 was. It was China because every copy of Windows was pirated and may have also had government keys hard coded in the pirated copies. They were locked at the patch level the pirated version was made from and it was impossible to patch it otherwise. Either way the US has nearly unlimited amounts of rare earth material in raw form. Its just much more expensive and time consuming to process it in the US and US regulations make it even more expensive. China does not follow our environmental laws and we breath the output of that. That's why they are processed in China. Processing it in the US would reduce global pollution for a hefty price.
- lmm 1y ago
  > China does not follow our environmental laws and we breath the output of that. Some of it perhaps. A lot of it is more localised, going into their dust clouds and water supplies. We should face the fact that moving rare earth processing to the US would mean either expensive mitigation measures or a lot more Americans experiencing health conditions - and probably both.
wakawaka28 1y ago
Is this a serious question? China probably has the full source code of Windows, which has leaked before and could be obtained easily by spies abroad who are employed at Microsoft. They also don't need Windows. They make practically all the computer gear, or enough of it that they can get by in a war. We need to make real essential goods to sustain ourselves, not a bunch of spyware products and "service industry" gigs.
- bjourne 1y ago
  I hear you are not actually addressing my argument? Stopping Windows Updates would do more short and long-term damage to the Chinese economy than embargoing rare earth metal exports ever will.
  - danhor 1y ago
    How would you effectively stop windows updates to china? Bypassing the Windows activation measures isn't stopping single pirates (or people still wanting Windows 7 updates intended for big business with legacy devices), the only way to stop windows updates is preventing access to it. It's impossible to do so while still having Windows as an Operating System that people outside high security environments use.
    - wakawaka28 1y ago
      To be fair, Microsoft could be persuaded to add actual exploits to Windows contingent on the install being in China. In that case, they would want the Windows updates to be installed. There is thus no realistic scenario where exports of Windows updates would be possible or even desired by the US government.
  - bpt3 1y ago
    1. What exactly do you think are delivered in Windows Updates? 2. Why do you think the pirated versions of Windows largely used in China are getting updates? 3. What do you think happens when patches aren't applied to Windows?
  - 1y ago

Anarch157a 1y ago

It's much easier to smuggle a USB drive with Windows updates than it is a few tonnes of metal. Then China will switch a billion desktops to Linux and the US will still need rare earths.

stickfigure 1y ago
> Then China will switch a billion desktops to Linux Easier than smuggling a few tonnes of metal? Let me introduce you to my elderly parents...
- deadfoxygrandpa 1y ago
  old people in china don't have computers, they use smart phones
mothballed 1y ago
If all the US needs is a few tonnes the cartels can get it done no problem.
rat87 1y ago
I run desktop Linux. It's pretty hard to switch a billion desktops to Linux even if you do it one at a time. Not to mention a ton of problems with compatibility and corporate and government IT
- wakawaka28 1y ago
  The Chinese pirate Windows extensively, and the code has been leaked before. If IP law goes out the window, they will do whatever the hell they want.

Bender 1y ago

the US can embargo Windows updates That's actually a funny and real example. For a long time there was a heat map that showed where the concentration of MSIE 6 was. It was China because every copy of Windows was pirated and may have also had government keys hard coded in the pirated copies. They were locked at the patch level the pirated version was made from and it was impossible to patch it otherwise. Either way the US has nearly unlimited amounts of rare earth material in raw form. Its just much more expensive and time consuming to process it in the US and US regulations make it even more expensive. China does not follow our environmental laws and we breath the output of that. That's why they are processed in China. Processing it in the US would reduce global pollution for a hefty price.

lmm 1y ago
> China does not follow our environmental laws and we breath the output of that. Some of it perhaps. A lot of it is more localised, going into their dust clouds and water supplies. We should face the fact that moving rare earth processing to the US would mean either expensive mitigation measures or a lot more Americans experiencing health conditions - and probably both.

wakawaka28 1y ago

Is this a serious question? China probably has the full source code of Windows, which has leaked before and could be obtained easily by spies abroad who are employed at Microsoft. They also don't need Windows. They make practically all the computer gear, or enough of it that they can get by in a war. We need to make real essential goods to sustain ourselves, not a bunch of spyware products and "service industry" gigs.

bjourne 1y ago
I hear you are not actually addressing my argument? Stopping Windows Updates would do more short and long-term damage to the Chinese economy than embargoing rare earth metal exports ever will.
- danhor 1y ago
  How would you effectively stop windows updates to china? Bypassing the Windows activation measures isn't stopping single pirates (or people still wanting Windows 7 updates intended for big business with legacy devices), the only way to stop windows updates is preventing access to it. It's impossible to do so while still having Windows as an Operating System that people outside high security environments use.
  - wakawaka28 1y ago
    To be fair, Microsoft could be persuaded to add actual exploits to Windows contingent on the install being in China. In that case, they would want the Windows updates to be installed. There is thus no realistic scenario where exports of Windows updates would be possible or even desired by the US government.
- bpt3 1y ago
  1. What exactly do you think are delivered in Windows Updates? 2. Why do you think the pirated versions of Windows largely used in China are getting updates? 3. What do you think happens when patches aren't applied to Windows?
- 1y ago