scary certificate for www.update.microsoft.com

[Roland Perry]

In article 
<CAK0b=2f-NtWWDwz-6Gt8goX2kTwJHaqfsKpedguFpvFgw_YWHg at mail.gmail.com>, 
Tony Naggs <tony.naggs at googlemail.com> writes
>However:
>
>1) Microsoft has long said that you can only use their own browser to
>download updates (or a browser that claims to be theirs).
>
>2) Their update site no longer downloads patches. Yes, that's right. 
>All
>  it has is a message saying "please use your Windows Control Panel"
>  [instead].
>
>Yes, as I'm sure you know the Windows Update tool runs (ActiveX) stuff 
>to help Microsoft to try to limit updates to go only to PCs with 
>correctly licensed Windows

That's a rather different issue, because the update website used to 
launch the Update Tool anyway. What's changed is that they are saying 
"From now on use the Control Panel to launch the Update Tool, not this 
[update] website".

(From a public policy point of view, not updating counterfeit copies of 
Windows simply enables botnets etc to thrive in that environment. Is 
that regarded as a "good thing"??)
-- 
Roland Perry