XP update to sport more than just fixes
Published: 01 Mar 2002 15:01 GMT
Microsoft will deliver the first major update to Windows XP as early as the third quarter, a company spokesman said on Thursday.
In its update, Microsoft plans to roll in some significant technology enhancements along with the bug fixes it typically includes in updates or service packs to operating systems such as Windows NT and 2000. A service pack is a cumulative collection of fixes and updates for a desktop operating system that otherwise would be available as separate downloads.
Windows XP Service Pack 1 will also deliver support for technologies that could allow PC makers to extend computers beyond more staid desktop and notebook designs. Service Pack 1 will introduce support for Mira "smart" display devices, the Tablet PC and the multimedia-oriented Freestyle graphical interface.
"This update will be similar to putting a new coat of wax on your brand-new car," said Microsoft spokesman Jim Cullinan. "It will provide a roll-up of critical updates and enabling technologies for devices like Mira, as well as new types of PCs like the Tablet PC and Freestyle PCs."
Depending on availability of the beta, or testing, versions of the service pack, PC manufacturers could debut new Windows XP products for the holidays. Hewlett-Packard, for example, hopes to deliver a hybrid PC-home entertainment centre built around Freestyle, an interface wrapping together Windows XP's digital multimedia features, such as music, videos and television. Among other changes, consumers would be able to navigate the interface using a remote control rather than a keyboard.
Though Microsoft plans to introduce new technologies, the company won't do so in a way that upsets the stability businesses look for in an operating system, Cullinan said. Microsoft ships a consumer and business version of Windows, but the major features are largely identical.
"The final component will be changes required by the consent decree with the DOJ and nine states," Cullinan said.
On Wednesday, Microsoft and the Justice Department filed a revised version of their settlement agreement. If approved by a federal judge, the settlement would become a consent decree that would place some restrictions on Microsoft's business practices. In the revised document, Microsoft also agreed not to restrict Windows access of third-party middleware technologies, such as Web browsing, instant messaging and media playback.
Next week, US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly will hold a hearing to determine whether the settlement is in the public interest.
Microsoft's delivery of the first Windows XP service pack will lag behind its predecessors. The software titan, for example, released Windows 2000 in February 2000 and Service Pack 1 in July of that year. Microsoft posted Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 in May; a third service pack for the operating system is in testing now.
By contrast, PC makers started shipping Windows XP in September, and the product went on sale at retail stores in October, making the first service pack's release potentially one year in the making.
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