I remember a while back that the Drupal community had an issue with salting the password because someone thought it was more secure than storing the md5 directly into the database. The idea was absolutely ridiculous, because once the salt (or getting the salt) is known, the attack is only marginally more difficult than if you never salted your md5. Salting is only good in a limited circumstances where the salt is private and if the server is compromised then the salt is also compromised.

Microsoft Live platform: Bill Gates outlines the Microsoft Live Platform, while bits rain down on other platforms.I am a technically adept user. I have been using Windows since Windows 3.0. I remember the entire progression, 3.1, 3.11 for Workgroups, 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, and it kind of ended there for me. These days I find myself absolutely disgusted by Microsoft. From the AutoUpdate system which I feel like I am selling my soul to use, to their restrictive licensing, to the threats from BSA, to how difficult it is to upgrade Windows versus something like Ubuntu, my relationship with Microsoft is strained. Further, I don't feel like I can trust Microsoft, even if I pay them. I think that much like IBM and the Nazis, if an authoritarian government comes after you, Microsoft will be the first company to sell you and your data out.

Further, I don't think that I and Microsoft can have a forward facing relationship. As a developer, I abhor the Microsoft platform. It's expensive, it doesn't scale without significant cost and I have to ask Microsoft each time I want to do something. Compare that to something like Linux where I can do whatever I want, I can deploy 10,000 clusters tomorrow and Linux Inc. isn't going to say a damn thing to me, other than awesome, can we write a case study? Investing time learning Microsoft technology from the perspective of the end-user or the developer seems less and less beneficial.