Microsoft
Packs XP with Useful, Controversial Stuf
Microsoft Packs XP with Useful, Controversial Stuff:
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Windows XP, the new operating system
launched by Microsoft Corp. on Thursday, is the software
giant's most stable and feature-rich consumer product
yet, but it still has some hardware and software issues
as well as persistent -- some say menacing -- links to
other Microsoft services.
Thursday marked the retail debut of what the software
giant called its most significant product in six years.
The product is based on the programming technology found
at the heart of Microsoft's corporate operating system,
Windows 2000. That means Windows XP hardly ever crashes.
Individual programs might freeze, but rarely take down
the whole system, a constant danger with earlier consumer
operating systems from Windows 95 to last year's Windows
Me.
``The biggest improvement, the one I think is going to
be the clincher, is that it just doesn't crash as often,''
said Andy Rathbone, author of ``Windows XP for Dummies.''
``The other features are more like icing on the cake.
Some people are going to need and like them while others
won't even use them.''
SOLID SYSTEM
But whereas Windows 2000 didn't work with a lot of consumer
software, like games, and hardware, like digital cameras,
Windows XP can handle a lot more of the fun stuff.
There are still gaps in what XP will recognize. This
reporter ran into trouble trying to install Liquid Audio
Inc.'s music player. Another Reuters reporter said XP
forced him to reinstall Microsoft's Outlook 2000 on his
Sony Vaio laptop. It also disabled his AmbiCom ethernet
card and wouldn't recognize his Canon digital camera.
But new updates and drivers are appearing daily, and
XP is smart enough to help you look for the right fixes
online, saving you the trouble of digging them up yourself.
On Thursday, Microsoft posted an update that fixes problems
with dozens of programs, including RealPlayer 7.0 from
RealNetworks Inc. and glitches caused by playing Disney's
``Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' DVD.
``What Microsoft is trying to do with Windows XP, and
for the most part it has succeeded, is make it very easy
to keep it updated,'' Rathbone said.
If users do install disagreeable software and mess up
their PCs, a ``system restore'' feature can reset the
system to an earlier state. In the case of the Liquid
Audio problem, use of this feature revived the machine
without losing other data. WinXpFix.com
FUN FEATURES
Microsoft is also taking aim at the increasingly popular
use of PCs as a hub for managing digital media. New folders
labeled ``My Music'', ``My Pictures,'' and ``My Videos''
automatically file those media to the appropriate location.
The Windows Media Player for playing audio and video
is pumped up with the ability to record music CDs and
print labels. However, the software can only record in
Microsoft's Windows Media audio format, making it necessary
to pay for an add-on to record in the popular MP3 format.
Software called Movie Maker can transfer video from a
camcorder, automatically divide it into scenes and compress
it into clips small enough to send via e-mail.
XP also sports a new look. The screen is clear of almost
all icons and programs are launched from a smart ``Start''
button that prominently displays favored software while
hiding stuff that isn't used often.
Other features include user switching, which can create
sign-ins for different users who can store their settings
and files separately from others; and a home networking
wizard helps link multiple computers.
Windows XP does require more powerful hardware than any
previous version.
Microsoft recommends a 300-megahertz or faster processor
and 128 megabytes of RAM. Some reviewers have said to
forget about installing XP on machines older than two
years or slower than 500 megahertz, but this reporter
has had no problems on a 2-1/2-year-old PC with a 450-megahertz
Pentium III and RAM boosted to 224 megabytes.
PASSPORT STIRS PRIVACY CONTROVERSY
But there are also several controversial parts of the
new system -- which will likely have some consumer groups,
privacy advocates, politicians, and rivals crying foul.
One of the first things XP users see is product activation.
It is an attempt to thwart piracy and stop people from
installing Windows on more than one computer. Microsoft
has always forbade putting Windows on more than one PC,
but activation now gives them the power to enforce that.
Activation is simple, requiring users to send a code
over the Internet. But some say Microsoft risks angering
customers who tinker with their PCs a lot, the danger
being that if a hardware profile changes too much, Windows
will lock up, forcing a telephone call to Microsoft to
reactivate it.
``I can see Microsoft's point in trying to do it, but
the way it's set up it will be hurting the consumers and
the families more than it will hurt the counterfeiters,
who have already found ways to circumvent it,'' Rathbone
said.
After activating and setting up XP, Microsoft urges users
to sign up for Passport, an authentication system that
enables automatic sign-in to Microsoft services like Hotmail.
But if you don't want a Passport, XP will still urge
you to sign up as many as five times, according to some
reviewers.
PITCHING NEW SERVICES
More disturbing than Microsoft's sheer persistence is
what many users see as deceptive language to trick people
into thinking they need a Passport account to do basic
Web tasks.
The Passport dialogue box reads: ``You've just connected
to the Internet. You need a Passport to use Windows XP
Internet communications features (such as instant messaging,
voice chat and video), and to access .NET-enabled services
on the Internet. Click here to set up your Passport now.''
Microsoft wants Passport subscribers because it is a
piece of its .NET strategy to sell Web-based services.
Passport will become a virtual wallet to store data like
passwords and credit card numbers.
``I don't mind if Microsoft adds new features, but when
they make it seem like people have to sign up for something
that will make Microsoft more money, like Passport, that's
unfair and I don't think it's right,'' Rathbone said.
Those who don't get a Passport, however, will be locked
out of some nifty XP features like a new instant messaging
program called Windows Messenger that supports video chats,
application sharing, and even the ability to hand control
of your PC to, say, a tech-savvy friend who can help with
trouble-shooting.
But there is plenty of other popular messaging software
such as that from Internet and media giant AOL Time Warner
Inc. or Web portal Yahoo! Inc..
``The bad things are avoidable,'' Rathbone said. ``There's
a lot of good in Windows XP and a lot of the bad can be
avoided if people can see past what Microsoft is trying
to push on them.'' WinXpFix.com
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