With Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), Microsoft is introducing a set of security technologies that will improve Windows XP-based computers’ ability to withstand malicious attacks from viruses and worms. The technologies include: Network protection, Memory protection, Safer email, Safer browsing. This paper discusses the first two elements on this list.
Windows XP Service Pack 2: A Developer’s View
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Eugenia Loli
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“…Some application behaviors are expected to be incompatible with execution protection. For example, applications that perform dynamic code generation (such as Just-In-Time code generation) that do not explicitly mark generated code with execute permission may have compatibility issues with execution protection. Note that managed code applications and components built on the Microsoft .NET Framework’s common language runtime (CLR) will continue to work—the CLR is compatible with execution protection in SP2.”
The list of new features really seem to suggest that important parts of the design were chopped off to make way for compatibility. Although memory protection, etc is a good idea, the above quote seems to suggest many developers will simply have to adopt .Net platform or perish.
Not the real question is, how badly will this slow down my PC? I know most benchmarks have reflect at least a measureable performance decrease from SP1, and I don’t doubt SP2 will do the same.
*sigh* Why can’t they spend some for time to make the operating system more secure and maintain performance?
Oh, because there is less money to be made that way. I suppose I should wait until it is released to pass judgement, but I don’t see any reason to have hope.
This is a good thing
Although Windows XP SP2 will by no means be a secure operating system, it is nice to see Microsoft trying to improve security for Windows XP SP2. Computers pervade our society and perform vital functions, so computer security is essential and the improvements for service pack 2 are important.
First point is that since a SP brings in patching code to replace files or cover vulnerabilities it will always add to the size of the system and consequently the RAM use/speed
You can restore the speed of your PC by disabling the Windows firewall, uninstalling your antivirus application, allowing all cookies and disabling system restore
Or you can stop whingeing and recognise that a 1% decrease in speed is a tremendous improvement over the security bugs you’d have without it, and that you’ll lose far more time through system downtime without it.
Incidentally most users reported noticeable increases in system speed on installing Windows 2000 SP4 so what you say needn’t necessarily apply anyway.
Does this mean Microsoft is eliminating Outlook and Internet explorer?
Ironically, the above link doesn’t work if you identify as Opera. Identify as IE and the page works fine.
Just as an aside: why should MS cater to non-MS-stuff users? Of course, people will recall all this once MS is no longer dominant, but that will be a few years from now and perhaps they will be more forgiving (and thus not be like MS itself).
Just an aside…
Yakov like NX. Step in right direction for PC’s
Does the explict dynamic code marking mean that all old 4k and 64k intros that are packed with packers like http://upx.sf.net
and I doubt that this is the only niche where all sort of hacks are used that just doesn’t set that exec bit (as there wasn’t one when they were made) ..