Print - WinInfo Short Takes: Week of November 3

An often irreverent look at some of the week's other news...

Behind Windows XP SP2
Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) is still due in the first half of 2004, but Microsoft this week revealed exactly what's going into the oft-delayed collection of security patches. XP SP2 will ship with all XP security features enabled by default (what a concept), meaning that the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) will be on, and the Windows Messenger service will be off. XP SP2 will also include new features that will let developers write applications that more safely handle email attachments, and Microsoft will release new versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and Windows Messenger that take advantage of this technology. IE will be locked down in a manner similar to, but not as restrictive as, the IE version in Windows Server 2003. The company is also reducing XP's susceptibility to buffer-overrun errors, which worms and viruses commonly exploit, by adding support for new code execution features available on newer Intel and AMD processors. Finally, Microsoft is enabling the automatic download and installation of critical security hotfixes on XP SP2, ensuring that users' systems are always protected. That's a bunch of updates, and it all explains what's taking so long with the release of XP SP2. My only question: Why didn't Microsoft give us this information when it released the SP2 road map?

The Microsoft Product Roadmap, October 2003 Edition
As has been the case at every Microsoft event this year, company executives updated Microsoft's product roadmap at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2003 in Los Angeles. Longhorn beta 1 will ship in late summer 2004, possibly at about the time of next year's PDC (not a given, but that's my guess). No company executives said anything about beta 2 or the final release date, so don't believe any of the 2006 rumors--at least not yet. Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) is due to appear in the first half of 2004. Windows Server 2003 SP1 will be delivered sometime after XP SP2, in the second half of 2004; AMD64 versions of Windows 2003 will ship at the same time as SP1. A new version of XP Tablet PC Edition (code-named Lonestar) will ship in the first half of 2004. The next version of Microsoft SQL Server (code-named Yukon) will ship in the second half of 2004, after a widespread beta 2 release in the first half of the year. Somewhat tied to Yukon is Visual Studio .NET (code-named Whidbey), which will follow a similar trajectory.

Microsoft Renews Compatibility Pledge
Say what you will about Microsoft, but the company clearly does everything it can to respect its installed base. Microsoft set to rest rumors that Longhorn would break with the past by announcing that the next Windows version would continue the tradition of backwards compatibility. During PDC 2003, Microsoft demonstrated an ancient version of VisiCalc for DOS running on the Longhorn alpha, stressing that the company would preserve its customers' software investments. So don't believe everything you read: Security issues aside, the backward-compatibility pledge continues in Longhorn.

Microsoft Temp Employee Fired for Blog Posting
Sorry, guys; it wasn't Robert Scoble. A Microsoft temporary employee found himself on the receiving end of a pink slip this week when he published a photo of the Microsoft campus's shipping and receiving loading dock on his blog, a personal Web journal. Microsoft fired him because it claimed the photo was a security risk, claiming that people viewing the photo would be able to figure out the loading dock's location. The former employee later admitted that what he did was wrong, though he offered up an interesting conspiracy theory for those who are into that kind of thing: The photo he took shows a pallet of brand-new Apple Computer Power Mac G5 computers being unloaded. Was that the real reason he was fired?

The W3C Rallies Around Microsoft
Ah, the irony. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which oversees the development of Web standards, this week agreed to back Microsoft in its fight against Eolas Technologies, which is suing the software giant for violating its Web browser patents. The W3C has asked federal officials to revoke Eolas's patent because doing otherwise will cause "substantial economic and technical damage" to the Internet. The patent, the W3C claims, affects not only Microsoft but any company or individual that's created Web pages and applications. Furthermore, and perhaps most damaging to Eolas, the W3C cites examples of prior art (evidence that other companies used the technology before Eolas's patent was granted), which are often used to revoke invalid patents.

Pocket PCs Go High Resolution
Pocket PC users might soon find themselves jealously looking askance at a new generation of devices that feature much higher-resolution displays. By using the latest Windows Mobile 2003 software, hardware makers can now support native resolutions up to 640 x 480 (VGA), a dramatic increase over today's 320 x 240 resolutions. But the improvements don't stop there: Windows Mobile 2003 also supports landscape mode, offering Pocket PC users a more PC-like viewing experience. Toshiba will ship the first device to support the new high-resolution mode later this year.

Microsoft Buys Virtual PC, Kills Linux Support?
The Slashdot world is aghast this week over rumors that Microsoft is discontinuing support for Linux and other non-Windows OSs in its upcoming release of Microsoft Virtual PC 2004, an update to the Connectix application the company purchased earlier this year. However, the rumor is based more on conjecture than reality. Linux and other OSs still work fine in Virtual PC 2004--they just don't have Microsoft support, which really isn't all that surprising. Most of the PCs on which Linux is installed don't support that OS, either.

Sony Falls on Hard Times
After struggling most of this year, electronics giant Sony this week announced a 3-week restructuring plan that involves laying off 20,000 workers, reducing the number of parts and suppliers it contracts, and working more closely with former rivals. Once held up as an example of the AOL and Time Warner merger done right, Sony has seen its shares fall 22 percent this year as sales plummeted. Even its market-leading PlayStation 2 has struggled this year, losing share to the Xbox.

Microsoft Restructures MSN Division
This week, Microsoft announced it will restructure its MSN online service so that the company can better take advantage of search and music services, which are expected to present important growth opportunities in the future. The restructuring, which will take place by the end of the year, will split the MSN division into two units. Corporate Vice President Yusuf Mehdi will take over the search, advertising, and entertainment (music services and broadband Internet) businesses, while Corporate Vice President Blake Irving will oversee the communications business, which includes Hotmail, dial-up Internet access, and MSN Messenger. In December, Microsoft will unveil MSN 9, which features new spam filtering and pop-up-ad blocking, firewall software, and new parental controls; Microsoft says it will time the split to occur when this software is released.

Questions Linger After Apple Fixes Security Flaw in Newest OS Only
Imagine Microsoft trying this stunt: Apple's most recent OS software upgrade, Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, includes a fix for security flaws that remain unpatched in earlier versions of the Mac OS, leading some security experts to wonder whether Apple is using security as a lever to get people to upgrade. Apple says it won't fix the flaws in earlier OS X versions, although the resulting bad press might change the company's mind. "Imagine if Microsoft tried to charge for security fixes--people would go crazy," Thor Larholm, senior researcher for software security firm PivX Solutions, said. Yep. They would. And yet, we complain because Microsoft releases too many security fixes. What a world.

Here Comes the Fastest Pentium 4 Ever
According to sources close to the company, Intel will unleash its fastest-ever Pentium 4 processor, the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, also known as Intel's response to the AMD64 platform, on Monday. The Pentium 4 Extreme Edition features a whopping 2MB of Level 3 cache and runs at 3.2GHz, offering desktop users the processing power of a modern workstation for the first time. Intel is targeting the chip at gamers, videographers, and other PC enthusiasts who need the best possible performance. I'm sure the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition is only about half as fast as the Power Mac G5.

Longhorn 4051: What Do You Want to Know?
PDC 2003 has left me with a lot of information to digest, and I'm starting to prepare my long-form Longhorn, Whidbey, and Yukon showcases for publication on the SuperSite for Windows. I'll soon have showcases about Longhorn technologies such as Avalon, Windows Future Storage (WinFS), Indigo, and Aero, but I'm curious about what technologies you're interested in, so drop me a note and let me know. Thanks again to everyone who followed along with our epic PDC 2003 coverage; it was an exciting time.

I am truely disapointed by the obvious lack of objectivity. False and misleading statements like, "Questions linger after Apple fixes security flaw in newest OS only. Now imagine if Microsoft tried this stunt." shows were your paycheck comes from. How about the fact Microsoft doesn't patch the huge RPC exploits in NT 4 which is technically still supported and updated by Microsoft. That would be the stunt done to a very large enterprise audience, to fix the RPC hole upgrade to 2000 or 2003 now. Also where do you get information like " Linux isn't officially supported on most of the PCs to which it's installed either.", who on the planet would be qualified to make a list of officially supported hardware for "Linux". That's like saying there's not offically supported bread for "toasters". This article overall had some points I wanted to know but now I'm not sure what is true and what is propoganda. Editor's note: Yawn. I'm sure the 18 people using Panther feel safe, but what about the 7 million using Jaguar? It's nice that they decided to deliver a Jaguar fix after the complaints started, but then that's exactly what happened. I'm sorry you think that's propoganda. --Paul

give us some insight on the progression of palladium? this was the buzz word this time last year but has slipped out of sight Editor's note: Palladium was huge at the PDC, but we skipped out on all of the sessions because we're briefed pretty regularly by those folks as it is. I'll do a Palladium showcase for the SuperSite, however. --Paul

Re: "Longhorn 4051: What do you want to know?" I've thoroughly enjoyed your PDC 2003 coverage, and I am already too exited (over Longhorn) for my own good. I'd appreciate a more detailed report of the new GUI as well as details of any discussions/presentations/speculations from the PDC as to how the interface will change by the time the product ships. I love the right-oriented tool bar/docking bay, however, in the 4051-build screenshots you've provided on the super site, the bottom oriented toolbar remains. Will this be phased-out? If not, will I need to have a 27" monitor to have any usable screen real estate? I have faith that the final version of Longhorn will be a significant departure from XP, including change not from the GUI down to the file system, but I'd sleep much better at night knowing that the interface will be more dramatically revamped then what we've already been privy too. Also, I'd love to know if there is any info as to how compatible Longhorn will be with existing hardware. As a computer enthusiast on a budget (the worst kind of enthusiast) I feel that Longhorn will represent a significant reason to 'hold-off' building a new PC until the OS ships. Finally, I would appreciate any new (PDC 2003) info on what specific hardware will be required for the optimal (enjoyment and efficiency) Longhorn experience. I've heard rumors that Longhorn will push wide-screen monitors into the mainstream (which would be great), but I'd welcome conformation on this, and other hardware specific details. Okay, how's that for curiosity? You two didn't plan on sleeping did you? Shame! Thanks for listening, and thanks for the great sites. I've loved your coverage of the PDC, and look forward to your future publications. Sincerely, Jared M. Cavileer Editor's note: Thanks! So there's a lot here... the location of the Start Button/taskbar and sidebar can be changed to whatever you want (in each case). Hardware will be tough. My guess is that the highest-end system of today will be a fairly low-end system in late 2005, but I guess we'll see; I do know that Microsoft is significantly raising the bar on drivers, and that might be the final issue. They are definitely pushing the use of widescreen (and high DPI) monitors with Longhorn. I slept half the weekend, of course. :) --Paul

Paul, Nice job on the converage this week. Almost like being there (without the CD's of course:) Most interested in Whidbey. Did they mention that "My" can be used with VB 6? Doesn't sound right, but . . . Best, John Editor's note: I didn't hear that, but I can check. I do know that they are actually back-porting some of this stuff to older APIs and programming models, so it's possible. But I really don't know for sure. My guess is, no. --Paul

Paul, there is a mistake in your report on XP XP2: Not Windows Messenger will be shut off by default but the Windows Messaging service. The two things have absolutely nothing to do with each other. I know, very confusing naming thing here ;) Windows Messanger is obviously the IM client, while Windows Messaging service is a Windows service that basically can receive messages and show them on screen in a pop up window. You might have seen it in some networks where you get a message when some printing was successful. But as I said, two completely seperated things, they got nothing to do with each other at all. Editor's note: Thanks. That was a typo. --Paul

"Apple says it won't fix the flaws in previous OS X versions, though the resulting bad press might change their minds." Apple said no such thing. There was some speculation that they might not issue a security update for Pre-Jaguar systems, but that was put to rest with this story: http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/2003/10/31/jaguarfix/ Apple made no statement that they would _not_ update earlier versions. I suspect you already know this, but then, you never were one for objectivity when it comes to dinging Apple. Nice to see that you're nothing if not consistent. Welcome back.

Paul, I'm really interested to know what's changed, if anything, for Internet Explorer. I hear there is pop-up blocking and a download manager! Looking forward to the articles... Editor's note: IE 6.05 (7?) does include both pop-up ad blocking and a donwload manager, yes. --Paul

WinFS stands for Windows File System, not Windows Future Storage. Editor's note: No, it stands for Windows Future Storage. --Paul

You're at it again! Paul writes: "The former employee later admitted that what he did was wrong, though he offered up an interesting conspiracy theory for those who are into that kind of thing: The photo he took shows a pallet of brand-new Apple Computer Power Mac G5 computers being unloaded. Was that the real reason he was fired? " The "former employee" offered up no such conspiracy theory. From his blog: "Again, as I mentioned in the 'Of blogging and unemployment' post, it appears that it was the combination of the picture with the information about what building I was at when I took the picture that prompted them to make the decision that they did." Read carefully (I know your eyes are tired from all the flashy Longhorn demos, but work with me here): there's no conspiracy theory in that statement. He understands fully why he was fired--he posted a picture of a loading dock on the campus, and he gave information about its relative position on the campus. Others may speculate that Microsoft didn't like the content of the photo (I thought it was cute...especially the toppled boxes in the background), but he didn't. He "gets it", and he doesn't deserve your snide (and inaccurate) comment. Editor's note: Condescending and cute. You're deadly, Wendy. --Paul

Nice PDC reports. I don't know if they exist but if you have screenshots (not photos of the projection screen) of any Aero screens that would be fantastic.

Hi Paul, Good news for Apple fans. Apple never said that they would not fix the flaw in 10.2, it was apparently just a rumour. Today they have confirmed that they will be fixing it. On an unrelated note - what about those 20 odd security bugs in the latest version of IE which have yet to be fixed?

http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/2003/10/31/jaguarfix/index.php Turns out that Apple *will* patch Jaguar at least. For free. Actually, I seem to remember seeing security fixes for OS9 shortly after 10.2 was released. Editor's note: I assume you'll note that they decided this after the fact, and after many people complained. Also, they're not patching pre-Jaguar versions of OS X, so they're only patching versions that are less than a year old. Imagine if Microsoft had such a cut-off date. --Paul

The PS2 is not losing share to XBOX. Most of these sales are people buying second consoles. I realize this is a total shill site but lets be real. Editor's note: A simple search for "Xbox" on this site would reveal I've been achingly honest about Microsoft's game console. The PS2 is indeed losing share to the Xbox, though it still dominates. A sale is a sale. --Paul

Hi Paul, This is a response to your query about more info on Longhorn. I'd like to know more about WinFS. I spent some time going through the powerpoint slides on MSDN. I think a lot of the press is overlooking synchronization and info agents. These to me seem to be the key to the vision that Microsoft has been promising for awhile now. I'm sure you have seen the mini movies they post depicting future scenarios, white papers, and research papers. To me these scenarios are exciting and I finally see how Microsoft plans to achieve them. What sort of message did presenters give regarding how they plan to implement these scenarios? There were lots of quotes, "synch photos with relatives", "synch a music play list with your car", "synch contacts with mobile phone", "detect pictures and tag them using facial recognition to relate to Contacts", "synch all user settings and docs between all home machines', etc... I am curious to know to what level Microsoft is going to go to build scenarios on top of WinFS - sync and WinFS - info agents or how much they will rely on 3rd parties and ISV's to properly implement scenarios like this. Also, did anyone mention concern over the possibility for grassroots small p2p communities for sharing music? Thanks... Editor's note: Awesome, thanks! --Paul

You are a @#$%ing loser paul, you try WAY to hard. If i was you(im glad im not), I would have ended my life a long time ago. Your ^&%$ isnt even funny, if you think putting in random bad words anywhere you want to is hailarious, your wrong. You sound like a prepubescent thirteen year-old boy that is trying to be bad. And by the way, you are one $%#^ing ugly geek, get a life you nerd! Editor's note: Sorry for editing your post for content, but you sort of crossed the line there. I'll let my two kids know the truth about their father, however; thanks for the update! --Paul

Sorry paul, someone set my internet to change all websites to explicit words, and this site was the first thing i went to, so forget about that one message!

man let us know what they are going to do with it ? as far as i see focus in the File system and graphics which seems sucks im running the LH 4051 and i dont see any real features in the core i know its so early to say that but as i rememebr XP early days i see it was saying that "hey ill be a strong Operating system" but with LH i dont see any at least tell now please let me know your opinion

Hello, I would love to read more about AERO and see more screen shots of the Longhorn Build 4051. I would also like for you guys to know, that you guys are very informative and keep up the good work. Also, how is DirectX 9 all equate in the Longhorn? Or is AERO DirectX 10? Thank you very much.

"Security issues aside, the backward-compatibility pledge continues in Longhorn. " That could mean absolutely anything. Microsoft can use the security excuse whenever they want to break, not just backwards compatibility, but compatibility (file transfers etc.) with any other operating system or environment. "The photo he took shows a pallet of brand-new Apple Computer Power Mac G5 computers being unloaded. Was that the real reason he was fired?" Who knows? Possibly. I think the action taken was a bit heavy handed. I've seen the photograph and it really could be a picture of G5s taken anywhere. There's no reason to suspect they were being delivered to Microsoft, except that he says so. "The W3C has asked federal officials to revoke Eolas's patent because doing otherwise will cause "substantial economic and technical damage" to the Internet." This Eoalas 'patent' was ridiculous. How it got awarded I don't know. Where's the research into prior art these days? Like they invented the concept of hyperlinks and webpages. A lot of people cheered because they sued Microsoft. I didn't. "Most of the PCs on which Linux is installed don't support that OS, either." Pardon? "Even its market-leading PlayStation 2 has struggled this year, losing share to the Xbox." That's wishful thinking :). "...leading some security experts to wonder whether Apple is using security as a lever to get people to upgrade. " Well, they wouldn't be the only ones, would they? I'm sure this was meant as a joke by you Paul. "Here Comes the Fastest Pentium 4 Ever" Pentium 4 Extreme = Pentium 4 Extremely Slow? I'm always amazed at how much Intel have to do to keep up with AMD in terms of speed and performance. They're always adding cache at various levels to make the Pentium go faster and extend it's range, resulting in processors that are really too expensive. I don't know why they don't just build a good solid core to their processors. The reason why their clock speeds are so high now is because they really have to be to keep up with the work that other processors can do. I've seen a G5 in action, and I don't care what you try and stack it up against, it's fast and a very neat machine. "...I'm curious about what technologies you're interested in, so drop me a note and let me know." Next Generation Windows Base...aka Palladium. How is it going to work and how will it affect us all? I'm sure I'm not alone in not wanting the whole thing to be slipped in quietly. We don't really seem to be hearing too much about it.

Apple didn't say that it wouldn't fix the flaws. You said that. Even C/Net said "Apple APPARENTLY doesn't intend to fix the flaws in previous versions of the software: Apple's Security Updates Web page doesn't list fixes for the flaws in Mac OS X 10.2 and earlier." And now, of course, Apple has reaffirmed its commitment to fixing security flaws in Jaguar. Hopefully a future column will address that. The fact is, Apple fixed these security issues in Panther before they were given wide distribution. That they didn't have an immediate fix for Jaguar isn't surprising considering the timeframe and the need to meet Panther's promised release date. Additionally, the coverage of these security flaws is itself newsworthy considering both the quantity and the severity of the flaws. Three minor flaws from Microsoft, an OS in which people expect hundreds of flaws to be discovered every year, aren't even worthy of mention in any mainstream coverage. Joe Bush Editor's note: I'm curious. Have they reaffirmed their commitment to fixing security flaws in all versions of OS X? After all, the OS is only a few years old. --Paul

Paul, In order to have to keep explaining WinFS to every other post on the site, maybe you should start telling everyone that WinFS stands for WinFS Is Not a File System. Editor's note: Nice. :) --Paul

Could you make the text in your articles display any smaller in Mozilla based browsers?

"Could you make the text in your articles display any smaller in Mozilla based browsers?" I think you mean larger :). Editor's note: I assume he was being sarcastic. I don't control the look or layout of this site, but I will forward the note. Certainly, the text on the new site is way too small. --Paul

"I assume you'll note that they decided this after the fact, and after many people complained" Do you have a quote from anyone at Apple last week saying that they were NOT going to release security fixes for other versions of OS X? I doubt that you do. You've got some speculation from MS-centric sources who leaped to bad conclusions due to either ignorance or malice. Do you have a quote from Apple that they aren't going to patch anything before Jaguar? It wouldn't surprise me if they decided not to, but comparing MS to Apple in this regard is really not an apples-to-apples situation. Personally, I find the price of Apple's upgrades to be reasonable given the overall quality of the product. Windows has hidden costs that amount to far more than $129/year in maintanence for security issues alone. I'd rather pay up front, let Apple worry about pushing upgrades to me instead of having to remember to pull upgrades from them, and spend the rest of my time working happily virus- and hacker-free. Editor's note: I love Apple apologists. The company releases a fix for Panther only, for a vulnerability that affects all OS X versions, says nothing about previous versons until a public outcry, and only then pledges to support the previous version (but not the other versions). Let me ask you: Do you have a quote from anyone at Apple last week saying that they WERE going to release security fixes for other versions of OS X? No? Weird. --Paul

I am an apologist for Apple if being an apologist is defined as anyone that bothers to point out your lack of journalistic integrity. Critical, thoughtful, and accurate commentary is always appreciated. When it comes to Apple commentary on this subject, you only provided one out of three. Apple never said that "it won't fix the flaws in earlier OS X versions." You made that up rather than actually trying to discover if they would or would not. You didn't label it as speculation or an opinion. Editor's note: I can only go by what the company says, not what it (may or may not) intend. I guess the latter is enough for you, assuming we're talking about Apple. I suspect you don't cut other companies (like, ahem, Microsoft) the same slack. But hey, neither do I. Which makes more sense? --Paul

XP SP2 - I already have a firewall program, I already download all the latest security patches. So what is the point of SP2 for users that already exercise good patch managmement and security? I suggest that this patch should be called "XP NP1", for "Novice Patch 1". If you search Microsoft's knowledge base, you will find degraded performace issues created by security patches. A real SP would fix these.

Funny you should mention how great Windows Mobile 2003 is. If only I could actually get the upgrade to my PPC Phone from T-Mobile. I have been corresponding with T-Mobile and Microsoft about this appearent lack of urgency in this area, only to be told "So What". Finally T-Mobile posted an obscure notice that WM2003 would be made available, just not a date commitment. Not to mention this OS has been out for 6 months already. What is the point of a new product when Joe consumer can't get his hands on it because service providers have no incentive to make it available?