"In a move that could rankle privacy advocates, Microsoft said Monday that it is adding the PC equivalent of a flight data recorder to the next version of Windows, in an effort to better understand and prevent computer crashes. [Build better software? --Ed.]
"The tool will build on the existing Watson error-reporting tool in Windows, but will provide Microsoft with much deeper information, including what programs were running at the time of the error and even the contents of documents that were being created. Businesses will also choose whether they want their own technology managers to receive such data when an employee's machine crashes.
"'Think of it as a flight data recorder, so that any time there's a problem, that "black box" is there helping us work together and diagnose what's going on,' Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said during a speech at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Seattle...
"Industry analyst Richard Doherty said he doubted Microsoft got enough feedback on how users might feel about such a feature. Even airplane pilots, Doherty said, have been able to keep from having their routine in-flight dialogue preserved. Microsoft's version of the black box, Doherty said 'is begging for more real-world testing.'"
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