“Microsoft is finalizing a major makeover for Windows XP that makes it easier for consumers to choose third-party software over Microsoft’s own products. The software giant plans to begin testing within a few weeks Service Pack 1 for Windows XP, the first major update to the operating system, which was launched in October. Some of the more significant changes to the operating system, such as those allowing consumers and PC makers to override Microsoft’s default products, are a direct response to the continuing antitrust case against the Redmond company.” Read the the story at News.com.
XP Makeover Highlights Antitrust Tweaks
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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this is almost unbelieveable.. they’re actually complying.. woohoo.. gratz to microsoft for their first innovation!!
what a moron ^
I swear I saw a pig flying by my window.
It almost is enough to get me to go out and buy a copy of XP now. I just might when the pre-patched versions hit the shelves.
The software will still be on your system – you can just have default apps set to use a different program as a preference. For most things you can already do this now. This patch will do nothing to remove IE, MediaPlayer and the rest from your system. It will just hide it like MS hid DOS within WindowsME.
As I posted on the Slashdot forum, the pisser for me has been that something is hardcoded in places that you can’t remove. I have several laptops with Outlook 2000 installed but once or twice a year clicking on a “Send to Mail” menu option will launch OutlookExpress whether you want it to or not. Something more than file type preferences are at work in MS’s code…
There has not been any ruling on whether Microsoft would have to “make Windows [XP] modular” or not. I consider this a pre-emptive strike by MS (sort of a “sacraficial lamb” or sorts) to move the DoJ off its back a bit.
All commentary notwithstanding, I think that it could a step in the right direction. I’ll withhold judgement until I see it, and until I can install Mozilla, Jabber, etc. where I want it.
Ken
i might go and buy a OEM version of XP PRO SP1 when it comes out. but something keeps nagging me…what about totally removing the M$ software completely like OE, Messenger, and other annoying software. what about totally disabling the active scripting function in XP? i guess micro$oft knew they were gonna lose this time. it is gonna bite the warez copies hard, since they blacklisted alot of the XP keys floating out there. i think i saw the law of gravity nulled for a moment… =)
I want them to put in a “delete windows” button–that will automatically send me a refund for the “Windows tax”– the fact that you PAY for it whether you want it or not (if you buy an Intel or AMD box). Then I can install LINUX and get some work done.
Quote: ‘But for the choices to appear, software developers must write programs “so that they can register here,” [Cullinan] said.’
No option for the XP user to add _any_ program to the list of choices, regardless of whether it has been registered or not?
And from the sounds of it this ‘default application’ selection is separate from the FileType<->Application configuration (if it even still exists in XP).
Quote: ‘”We’re telling software developers how to register for this (user interface),” Cullinan said. “Second, we’re showing them how to be the default in every occasion. Third we’re telling them how to adhere to the user’s choice to hide their technology. We expect those companies to do one and two, but they’re not required to do No. 3.”‘
So much for the users being in control of their own computers. No thanks.
“it is gonna bite the warez copies hard, since they blacklisted alot of the XP keys floating out there.”
Nah, they’ll just release WinXP w/SP1 built in like they did 2k. I”m running a warezed 2k with SP2 bootable ISO
“I want them to put in a “delete windows” button–that will automatically send me a refund for the “Windows tax”– the fact that you PAY for it whether you want it or not (if you buy an Intel or AMD box). Then I can install LINUX and get some work done.”
Yup, here we go … can’t have one damn article about MS without some Linux zealot chiming in. Dude, here’s a quater – call someone who cares …
“I want them to put in a “delete windows” button–that will automatically send me a refund for the “Windows tax”– the fact that you PAY for it whether you want it or not (if you buy an Intel or AMD box). Then I can install LINUX and get some work done.”
Hey, wether you want to run linux, bsd, or some home brew, this MS tax is just crazy. zealot or not, a comsumer should NEVER [i]have to[i] pay for a windows license if they don’t want to. the only real rememdy for an MS monopoly is to let competing companies have a fair share at gettin’ their OS bundled with gateway computers, without any fear of ms tax or ms strongarming. and once i can truly get rid of ie (i am usin ie not by force, not choice), oe, wmp, msn messenger without them bein hidden somewhere on my system, then i will be pretty much happy.
“Hey, wether you want to run linux, bsd, or some home brew, this MS tax is just crazy. zealot or not, a comsumer should NEVER have to pay for a windows license if they don’t want to.”
Well, just down the street from me, there’s a Fry’s Electronics where you can get a brandy newy computer with Linux pre-installed …
“the only real rememdy for an MS monopoly is to let competing companies have a fair share at gettin’ their OS bundled with gateway computers, without any fear of ms tax or ms strongarming.”
Yes, that was what was what MS and 9 states agreed on, but it didn’t pan out, because some people just aren’t going to be happy until Windows has been forced OFF of every desktop and the rest of us are stuck with Linux or (worse yet), some ‘alternative’ OS from Sun or AOL.
Besides, if someone would actually create an OS that people besides ABMers actually gave a shit about, you’d probably starting seeing a bigger demand for such an option.
“and once i can truly get rid of ie (i am usin ie not by force, not choice), oe, wmp, msn messenger without them bein hidden somewhere on my system, then i will be pretty much happy.”
No you won’t – you’ll just find something else to bitch about .. “Hey, why is DirectX built into Windows!?!”
It’s just like what I said above – ‘nevermind that I can buy a PC from Fry’s or several other shops around town without Windows … until I can get a Dell, HP, or Compaq without Windows preinstalled, I am FORCED to buy a computer with Windows …’
No you won’t – you’ll just find something else to bitch about .. “Hey, why is DirectX built into Windows!?!”
It’s just like what I said above – ‘nevermind that I can buy a PC from Fry’s or several other shops around town without Windows … until I can get a Dell, HP, or Compaq without Windows preinstalled, I am FORCED to buy a computer with Windows …’
Darius – you must be loyal to M$. It’s very obvious in the tones of your posts…
This is certainly a step forward for Microsoft, it’s just sad that it had to be forced on them.
As for myself I’ve given up on Microsoft a long time ago, and they will have to do a lot more than that to get me back. Computing just aint fun with Microsoft products (nor very productive).
But I’m happy for the competetors, especially Opera, to get a chance to be included as the default in a large amount of computers. Most people go with whatever app that is the default on their computer, they care less about if it’s IE, Opera, Netscape, Realplayer etc. as long as it works. except for instant messengers perhaps, cause that depends much on what their friends are using.
However, I’m interested in seeing what the OEM license has to say about what they can and can’t do. Would anyone care to tell me what their restrictions are now?
“Darius – you must be loyal to M$. It’s very obvious in the tones of your posts…”
Nah, I really don’t care for MS and their practices. But as much as I dislike MS, I hate Linux zealots that much more
Personally, I’d rather pirate software (which I consider to be superior to the alternatives) from an evil Corporation than to be part of a group who makes it their mission in life to insult and belittle people based on the OS they use.
M$ should be required to configure their windows bootladder to support non-m$ os such as linux and be and os/2
I can’t believe that people keep complaining about this. If you don’t want windows on your machine, then do buy it from a place that preinstalls windows. It really is very simple. It is just rediculous to suggest that you should get some kind of refund. Would you buy a computer with a Radeon if you really wanted a GeForce? Should they refund your money for the Radeon? Makes no sense.
-G
Microsoft’s service pack is NOT complying!!!
Amongst other things, they must:
1. Allow complete removal of the modules.
2. Publish APIs to allow 3rd party replacements to work 100%
3. Void illegal contracts with OEMs to allow replacements.
I am sure the courts will see right through this.
First, Darius: It costs $.35 for pay phones now… some places $.50
j.b.: And you are just an abmer, get a life.
rain: No, people do NOT just use what comes default. I don’t know about you, but most of my friends spend time to download things like WinAMP, Sonique, etc… Fact is, IE is simply, by far, still the best browser.
more for rain: not productive my ass, maybe you should ditch your fanaticism over anti-MS and come to the real world.
CPUGuy:
I didn’t say “people” I said most people. And most people out there are pretty new to the world of computers, they don’t know where to look for alternatives and most of the time they don’t even know that they exist. When an app is acting strange many newbies accepts this fact and thinks that it is supposed to be that way, so they won’t look for alternatives even if there are apps that solves those problems.
It’s just as with music, most people just listens to the stuff they hear on the radio or TV. They don’t think that there’s something between that and crappy garage bands not worth listening to. But there’s a minority of people that really cares about music and searches everywhere for new artists and knows where to find good music.
While there’s a decent amount of people (mostly young people) that knows about alternative applications and knows where to find them, I’d say that the largest part just uses what’s pre-installed on their system.
If I was to think like you do, most people in the world would use linux or beos, browse with mozilla, and listen to alternative music. But it would be so wrong of me to assume that.
about productivity.. where do you think that you would be the most productive?:
In a beautiful large clean office with a comfortable chair, well adjusted lights and a nice panorama view to give you inspiration. or…
A small crowded storage room down in the cellar, no air condition, water constantly dripping onto your head from a leak in the ceiling, you got a hard wooden chair to sit on and a couple of storage boxes as a desk.
What I’m trying to say is that the environment you are working in is very important. It doesn’t matter if you have the best tools in the world, if your brain aint working right in that environment, then you can’t be productive.
In windows, I can’t find inspiration. I get turned off by it, I just want to get away. There’s always something wrong with it. So I end up playing games or watching movies instead.
Compared to BeOS where I get so many ideas and get so productive, and where it’s actually fun to be. That’s the kind of environment that works for me, that i can be productive in. It’s also the reason why I always draw prettier pictures and make better songs in BeOS, even though I actually have better tools for it in Windows.
Now that’s what I meant. You may perhaps feel the complete opposite, and that’s understandable.
As for me being fanatic, you are completely wrong. Didn’t you actually see that I said that this was a step in the right direction for MS? A fanatic wouldn’t say that, a fanatic would turn it into something evil. Just because I dislike Microsoft and most of their products doesn’t mean that I’m fanatic. Walking against the stream is not what it means to be fanatic, check your dictionary my friend.
M$ should be required to configure their windows bootladder to support non-m$ os such as linux and be and os/2
Yeah, there must be millions of them out there. Lets see, Atheos, Cosmoe, blah blah blah. Besides, IBM discontinued OS/2…. and that discontinuation is the direct result of their inablity to market their wares to the masses. Besides, now Microsoft have to help its OS competitors? Didn’t other OSs have installations that overwrite MS’ bootloader? What’s the point? If it is for OEMs to bundle other OSs with their computers along with Windows, yes they could do that under the DoJ settlement. They could obviously use their own bootloaders. There are free ones out there, LILO, GRUB etc.. I’m sure Windows would cease to work because of the lack of their own bootloader… cause it had work before….
1. Allow complete removal of the modules
Yeah, sounds like a great idea. Break a few thousand apps, send a lot of shareware writers down the drain…. all because they want DLLs normal non-geek users won’t notice? Next what? Microsoft should remove Win32 and make it optional?
2. Publish APIs to allow 3rd party replacements to work 100%
Currently, the APIs publish on MSDN is enough to allow software writers to create something totally annoying. What? Give them more room? Besides, the only thing competitors are whining about is that Microsoft have the upper hand by having access to the newest freshest APIs that Office, VB, etc. could use.
3. Void illegal contracts with OEMs to allow replacements.
Wow, sounds like a bright idea. Hello? Read the DOJ settlement, this is one of the clauses of it. Microsoft would have to comply with this. But Dell, HP etc. complained that the DOJ settlement don’t give them rights to have deals with Microsoft, thus placing them on a fair playing field as other OEMs, smaller OEMs.
rain: No, people do NOT just use what comes default. I don’t know about you, but most of my friends spend time to download things like WinAMP, Sonique, etc… Fact is, IE is simply, by far, still the best browser.
Opera has all the features IE has, plus even more. It is even gaining market share, and Microsoft seems very worried about it. Anyway, people stop downloading Netscape because it stop providing reasons for them to download it anymore. Maybe Mozilla 1.0 (not unstable Mozilla-based) based Netscape 7.0 would give them the reason again. But then, I highly hate its UI, XUL having the main reason. Chimera, Galeon, K-Meleon all proved that Gecko can indeed be faster if they used a native UI. Netscape.com have change it look, looks cool, but does it have more features compared to MSN or Yahoo (the one I’m using)? Nope. Netscape used not to have stiff competition. Their only competition was weaklings who don’t have the money in order to compete feature wise with Netscape. Microsoft came, and because it is tougher than Netscape, have even more money than Netscape, Netscape fell.
That’s not part of the settlement that MS had with the other states.
I sure hope you know that, and aren’t just spouting BS.
re: what about a non-windows bootloader?
ummm…. all you have to do is configure the bootloader, it isn’t a Windows only thing. And why exactly should they be forced to do this? You people think that MS should be forced to do this and be forced to do that, in my mind, you just a bunch of babbling idiots that really have no idea what is going on here.
Fact is, IE is simply, by far, still the best browser.
By calling that a fact, you actually show how little you know.
CPUguy: IE is not the best browser around……I would say that NS7 is as good as IE, and if you throw in the cool features it has, it is better. infact, NS is more comparable to MSN Explorer than IE, and in that race, I will still pick NS because I use AIM and not WM, and NS mail is better than outlook.
We’ll see about that..
I downloaded XP pro ( not a cracked Home edn copy which seems to be what the article means ) I’ll try installing SP1 anyway – and report back.
“Personally, I’d rather pirate software (which I consider to be superior to the alternatives) from an evil Corporation than to be part of a group who makes it their mission in life to insult and belittle people based on the OS they use.”
Oh absolutly! I also hate people who belittle others based on what OS they use. To think, someone would actually make all those assumtions just because they use a particular OS! Its just… insulting! To assume that just because someone uses an OS, that they will belittle others, why its just unacceptable. I see your point! You’ve made it well.
(Note dripping sarcasam, please watch your step.
Isn’t this a little like stealing a car, fighting to disprove the allogations for years in court, then saying you indeed borrowed the car but had good reason to, and then returning the car to the original ownerin the form of a cardboard cutout, and then hoping everyone will just, “forget the whole thing”?
I mean they have been trying to prove that they aren’t a monopoly and haven’t done anything wrong for years right? When the courts proved they were operating illegally, they said, okay, we’re guilty, but we can’t change because we can’t pull that stuff out of our software. It’s impossible. When that scam begins to fail, they release a patch for XP which LOOKS like a modular version of Windows, but which is most likely just an illusion. They probably pasted cardboard over the icons for MediaPlayer, IE and Outlook Express.
Well, I’m ready to forget the whole thing! Actually, I would really like to see MS pay and pay big for operating illegally for so long.
Camel, your comment was my favorite out of all of this idiotic flaming and OS-choice bashing. Lots of people here make comments without research and comment with such poor language that it’s hard to tell what they’re trying to say at all.
What’s real? Microsoft hasn’t yet done anything at all that is in true compliance (the act, not the illusion) with the complaints against them. They will not until they are forced to.
Cardboard cutouts… heh heh… you see the same as I do.
Isn’t this a little like stealing a car, fighting to disprove the allogations for years in court, then saying you indeed borrowed the car but had good reason to, and then returning the car to the original ownerin the form of a cardboard cutout, and then hoping everyone will just, “forget the whole thing”?
Notice how Real manage to stay afloat three years later after Microsoft integrated NetShow into their OS? Notice how WinAMP is getting more and more downloads, and almost everyone I know that is using Windows using it? Notice how Opera is gaining market share faster than Netscape is loosing it? Notice how every Internet-using Windows 95 user uses Netscape? Netscape didn’t *own* the car, anyone could have taken it from Netscape. And what did they do? They decide to call for a rewrite. What do customers do? Did they wait on a buggy bloated browser when there is another one that is faster and better preloaded? Did Netscape ever though that third party developers would want to use some shared libraries without paying for it?
Anyway, with the current settlement, Netscape can win back market share. AOL could have a deal with, say Dell, not only they would load it with an AOL icon, they would hide WMP and bundle WinAMP, they would hide IE and OE, and place in Netscape, they could hide Windows Messenger, and place in AIM and ICQ…
I mean they have been trying to prove that they aren’t a monopoly and haven’t done anything wrong for years right? When the courts proved they were operating illegally, they said, okay, we’re guilty, but we can’t change because we can’t pull that stuff out of our software. It’s impossible. When that scam begins to fail, they release a patch for XP which LOOKS like a modular version of Windows, but which is most likely just an illusion. They probably pasted cardboard over the icons for MediaPlayer, IE and Outlook Express.
Actually, the whole current settlement with the DoJ is what they are complying it with. They did not claim it was a modular Windows, did not claim it is complient with the States’ proposal. Besides, it is more than hiding icons. You look at your desktop, no IE, at the Quick Launch, no IE, at the Start menu, no IE, in Windows Explorer, no IE. But you could have IE through applications, like Frontpage preview mode, or ICQ welcome screen, or Winamp mini-browser. To the user, IE is gone, nadda. Then 14 days later Windows would ask in an unbiased way you I want IE or blah blah blah browser (for OEM machines). If I want blah blah blah browser, I would get it, and Windows can’t bug me anymore to use IE ever again.
Well, I’m ready to forget the whole thing! Actually, I would really like to see MS pay and pay big for operating illegally for so long.
It is just so ironical that America opposes double standard laws, but if Windows wasn’t a monopoly, everything they did would be completely 100% legal, now thats what I call a double standard.
I certainly do not stand by the laws that allow Microsoft and most other companies to shaft consumers. Sadly, I see nothing I can do about it. Morality in business doesn’t exist here and that sucks.
I’ve written to the DOJ judge in the MS case. I’ve written to representatives. I’ve written articles. I’ve tried to educate other consumers. It doesn’t accomplish a damn thing. What else can I do??
I am quite pissed off that it is taking so much time to accomplish NOTHING in the case against the bastards.
CPUguy: IE is not the best browser around……I would say that NS7 is as good as IE, and if you throw in the cool features it has, it is better. infact, NS is more comparable to MSN Explorer than IE, and in that race, I will still pick NS because I use AIM and not WM, and NS mail is better than outlook.
Well, that’s a “fair” comparison. Comparing an unreleased product with a released product. What’s next? Care for a nice comparison of Windoes NT 3.5 and RedHat Linux 5.2, with Mac OS X 10.2.
Anyway, I wouldn’t use NS. I have used Moz 1 RC3, and the difference in download since is so great, I threw the idea of downloading NS7 PR1. Another thing is that I don’t use AIM, and don’t care for it. I use Gabber (yes, honey, a Linux user here). Besides, I ask my NS7 PR1 friend on the difference in using AIM with IE or with NS, he says NS have options to make AIM more annoying. But for good measure, IE nor MSN Explorer have no integration with WM. MSN Explorer has integration with MSN Messenger.
Another thing, Opera is the most advance browser out there, like it or not. Find an browser that can compete with Opera (which I doubt), I might call myself troll for a few weeks… Having great time on Opera 6 for Linux. My love story began with Opera because all the browsers on Linux back then sucked. Mozilla was slow, Galeon was unstable, Netscape for old, Konqueror was slow and couldn’t barely support 1/2 the sites I go….. Though Mozilla now is quite fast to use (but not to load), Galeon is stable, and Konqueror is so much faster and support a whole lot more websites, yet netscape 4 is old, I couldn’t leave Opera. Talk about locking users in.