Skype blames its outage on Microsoft Windows

When I first read the headline, I was shocked. I thought, "Wow! Skype runs on Windows servers???"

But no. Skype blamed its outage over the weekend on a different kind of Windows problem. It turns out that when you have millions of Windows machines restarting at the same time (getting their weekly doses of patches because, um, the system is rock solid), it can cause all sorts of problems for others.

Like Skype:

The latest security update from Microsoft required a system reboot. The effect of so many machines rebooting and subsequently trying to log onto the Skype VoIP network triggered system instability and a prolonged outage of almost two days starting on Thursday. Services have now being restored.

The necessity for system reboots after Microsoft patches happens almost every month. Skype said the problems it experienced were down to a failure in its system recovery functions due to a previously unidentified software bug.

I don't know about you, but if I'm a malicious hacker, I'm viewing all sorts of opportunity in this monthly opportunity to slip into Microsoft's mainstream patch-a-thon. If a common patch process applied across millions of machines simultaneously can cause so many problems, surely there's a way to capitalize on this. Skype's travails only make this opportunity more pronounced.

I'm liking my Mac even more right now. I just wish my Mac-based usage of Skype didn't have to be screwed up by so many lemmings patching their Windows machines. All together. At the same time. Every month. Like clockwork.
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