“Microsoft this summer will institute some changes to Windows XP as part of a settlement agreement meant to benefit consumers and increase competition. But some state trustbusters and Microsoft’s chief rivals aren’t convinced that those changes go far enough.” Read the rest of the report at ZDNews.
Windows XP Service Pack 1 Under Way
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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I for one will upgrade to SP1 so long if it is free. If it costs anything I will not purchase it. I am all for the inclusion of the Mira technology, I think that this will be a major turning point in how the home computer is used. Mira could also be the basis of the long awaited home network where your TV, computer, microwave, fridge, toaster, and other major appliences will be neworked for maximum household efficiancy. I am also supportive of the option to remove “middle ware” from XP. Howeverr, merely removing access to the programs is not enough. Microsoft needs to go one step further and have the SP more like 98 Lite. For those unfamiliar with 98 lite, it allows you to completely remove Internet Explorer, and many other “bloatware” product from Windows 98, and Windows ME. With a service pack like that, and not merely “hiding” access to components by removal of thier icons from the start menu, I would even pay for it. With just that option to remove the icons, what is th point in uprchasing it? If you cannot remove an icon from the start menu, prehaps you should not be even using a computer. I am glad that Microsoft has finally seen that the customer may not want all of the products that are included with Windows, but they need to get a grip and realize that everyone is not so incompitent that they cannot remove an icon. Thier customer techincal support needs to undergo an overhaul also. they need to treat people as though they have a brain in thier head.
How do you remove an icon? Just kidding…but you would be suprised at the number of users that I deal with on a daily basis that cannot do it.
I installed windows 98 again over my XP pro just so I could try out 98lite.
I had no idea I had grown so dang intolerent of instability in my operating system.
I mean it started I guess when I moved to mandrake. then XP came out, I snaged a copy, and have been using it since.
I am so glad to be rid of the heap of crap 98….
now I have debian woody installed on that machine, rock solid.
to bad I break stuff, I have to figure out how to remove a partialy installed package becasue one of the dependencies had a problem
I guess thats my fault though, I went and installed ximian on this machine using the debian 2.2 build.
any one know how to fix this?
If through normal means one could to completely uninstall middleware would definately be nice. I would also like to see the ability to not have to install the middleware in the first place. If they allowed manufactors to ship windows lite(windows without the extra bundled items) I would think that most competitors should be perfectly happy. People who create media players and web browsers have to realize that they have to show consumers a reason why their product is better than what MS gives away. In order for windows to remain the dominant OS they need to convince consumers that windows offers them something that isn’t availible or isn’t as good on a open source platform like linux. If MS’s competitors can’t show users why their product is better than MS’s products in some way than their failures aren’t MS’s fault.
..One way or another.
XP SP-1 will appear on popular File-sharing utilities ( KaZaA / Morpheus ) whether its charged for or not,. since it has been released because the terms of sale on XP are illegal, I’ll get it anyway – I consider it my right.
Service Packs are ALWAYS free, unless you want them to send you one on CD.
You people are just unbelieveable.
I totally agree with SSA.
It’s like day to day business. If you are not better than the competition you are not going to be successful.
Could you imagine starting up a company and some other companies take you to court because they don’t agree with the way you build, market and sell your product. I understand every company needs some kind of guide lines so other developers can build their software in a certain way but not vice versa.
Anyway, that’s just my opinion. Develop software for the MAC.
Yes, that was my initial response too.. but if you read the news report, it makes no mention of downloads.. AND.. it says the SP is being provided to OEMs????
PC Builders providing NT4 and 2000 systems never bundled the Service pack… one has to wonder if this is going to be like win98SE.. only available as a CD.. where equivalent download may be made available but under another name or which doesnt raise the OS version as reported on the PC.
Are you joking? MS themselves presses CD’s that come with the SP’s, and thus, the OEM’s had the same.
NT and Win9x has never been handled the same, it they won’t ever be…. this will be a free download, because it’s a service pack, 98SE was more than just a service pack.
Ximain’s version of Gnome is not compatible with Debians, because Ximian refuses to follow the Debian standard for their packages.
Thus you have to have 100% Debian standard Gnome or 100% standard Ximian Gnome.
You can’t mix the two together.
The only solution is to manually remove all of the Ximian Gnome packages and all of the Debian Gnome packages then do a clean install of Ximian Gnome.
This is what happens when people refuse to follow published standards.
You would be exactly correct IF there was a level playing field.
IF MS played fair then competition business failure would be because of bad business practices.
READ the finding of fact and you will see that the failure of companys trying to compete with MS was seldom their fault but the result of the behaviour of MS.
Be inc being a perfect example. Be made many mistakes but when they were blocked from OEM deals even when they were willing to give Beos away for free killed Be inc.
The death of OS2.
The death of Netscape.
etc, etc etc…………….
Binding IE into widows was not done to help the consumer but to destroy Nestcape.
Binding the media player into windows was not done to help the consumer but to destroy Real, Quicktime, and any onther competition in streaming media.
So, if Windows comes with these Microsoft “middleware technologies” disabled or non-existent (i.e. ‘modular’ Windows) I wonder how much extra I am going to have to start paying for Windows now with those OEM bundles using other third-party “middleware” in place of Microsoft’s that will presumably cost money – or are these competitors also going to keep giving their “middleware” products away for free, like Microsoft does?
Windows XP’s current install setup really annoys the hell out of me. It’s not that I have a problem with Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Media Player, etc; Some of them are pretty good programs. But I feel that I should have the option not to install those programs, especially if I intent to use a competing programs like Mozilla or Eudora.
Of course, some will say that it doesn’t hurt anything, those programs being there. But it has been my experience that keeping unneeded programs off a Windows computer increases its reliability.
“TV, computer, microwave, fridge, toaster, and other major appliences will be neworked for maximum household efficiancy.”
You have got to be kidding right?
Yeah I really need to network my toaster. Gee I wonder what my toaster is going to be saying to my microwave?
Hmmmmmmmmm I can see it now, I’m at work and I telnet into my tv set and…… and …….. um……
….er……….. I telnet into my tv set and I………………..
Stupid Idea.
I can see the future now, some scrip kiddie hacks my hotwater heater thats running windows and sets the water temp to 5 C. Get up in the morning and get a cooool surprise.
I remember when Beos was in its last death convulsions and some company was going to put a BeIA device into a refrigarator. I can’t remember why but you would be able to surf from the door of your fridge. Well that idea died real quick.
I perfectly understand what you are saying. I believe Microsoft is doing everything to make their products as robust and competitive as possible trying to give the competition no chance by buying/leveraging technologies developed by others. It’s capitalism “buy in order to sell for profit.”
Netscape: If everybody loved it and still loves Netscape so much, how come just 7% use it? I know I’m one of them even though I don’t use it everyday. I stopped using Netscape after version 3 until Mozilla showed up, just because they were not competitive. Companies and Amateurs build websites for IE.
Beos: I heard they were being blocked from OEM deals, but i also heard rumors they had major problems internaly which I can’t back up. I e-mailed Adobe and Macromedia asking if they would develop software for Beos in the near future. Reply: we can’t support every OS. I mostly us Flash and Photoshop at work and thats the software I make money with. I don’t want to learn other software in order to install a new OS.
I’m just wondering why BEOS didn’t sue Microsoft when they still had money. I hope and wish OBeos all the best.
Real Player Media Player:
I can’t comment on this one. I mostly use winamp and quicktime.
Quicktime:
Does APPLE bundle quicktime with OS-X? (I don’t have OS-X, don’t know)
It does according to their website and it even comes with IE. So how difficult is it to develop streaming Media players for APPLE? APPLE didn’t include Netscape. If Netscape is so top notch I believe they would be included.
I know everybody thinks Apple did something really good for the open source community. Maybe they did but they are also threatening Theme sites to sue them because of some lausy Aqua Theme. Nobody is taking Apple to court telling them to make OS-X available for the PC.
Just think about how many choices you have if you are running a PC. I don’t think you have half that many if you are running a MAC.
As I stated a month or 2 ago. I like Microsoft because I have an IT job and I make money with it and I believe they played a big part of it.
Just my opinion.
Obviously you don’t have anything good to say about Microsoft. You know why they are so successful, because they buy those little stupid ideas you’ve just explained from companies(or buy the companie) and market it. And everybody will buy it, because it is from Microsoft and they make more money. The Be. Idea died because nobody knows them.
yo
…because it’s a much stronger case now there’s been a ruling in the anti-trust case against MS and now that Be is bust.
>>Does APPLE bundle quicktime with OS-X? (I don’t have OS-X, don’t know) It does according to their website and it even comes with IE. So how difficult is it to develop streaming Media players for APPLE? APPLE didn’t include Netscape. If Netscape is so top notch I believe they would be included.<<
Yes Quicktime is bundled as well as Netscape… though the OS X version of Netscape wasn’t bundled due to not being available at the time of OS X’s release, but the OS 9 version is still delivered to this date!
>>I know everybody thinks Apple did something really good for the open source community. Maybe they did but they are also threatening Theme sites to sue them because of some lausy Aqua Theme. Nobody is taking Apple to court telling them to make OS-X available for the PC.<<
There is no reason for Apple to be forced to make OS X available for the PC side… they make their own hardware, so they can do what they want with their own hardware, just like Sun Microsystems, and etc… But in Microsoft’s case, they don’t own the PC OEMs, well not legally anyways and have no right to tell the PC OEMs what they can and cannot do with their hardware! MS was caught with their pants down and now their being punished for it, plain and simple!
>>Just think about how many choices you have if you are running a PC. I don’t think you have half that many if you are running a MAC.<<
Just because there is more vaporware available for the PC than the Mac doesn’t make the PC a better choice!
>>As I stated a month or 2 ago. I like Microsoft because I have an IT job and I make money with it and I believe they played a big part of it.<<
This would be a typical statement from an MSCE type… well I make lots of money working with UNIX and Sun played a big part in that, but who cares?!!
>>Obviously you don’t have anything good to say about Microsoft.<<
Obviously you don’t have anything good to say about Apple… so quit being a hypocrit!!!
I am glad that Microsoft has finally seen that the customer may not want all of the products that are included with Windows, but they need to get a grip and realize that everyone is not so incompitent that they cannot remove an icon.
Not everyone is knowledgable enough to set all of the registry entries correctly so that the program is not launched when they’re using another program, though. For instance, if you click on a mailto: link in IE but have removed the OE icon without setting the ‘default email program’ registry entry, OE will launch. If you have removed the IE icon and click on a link in a piece of software without setting the ‘default browser’ registry entry, IE will launch.
There are some cases where a particular piece of MS middleware will still be launched because you can’t guarantee that a replacement program will support things properly, but behavior will be more predictable if the product is ‘disabled’ in this manner. One of the things that was shown in the original anti-trust trial is that, with the version of 98lite that was available at the time, you could still launch IE through 3 or 4 different mechanisms, because the people that developed 98lite weren’t aware of those particular mechanisms (ie keyboard shortcuts).
When you remove IE from the system completely, you run the risk of breaking 3rd party software that uses it’s components. For someone that’s perfectly aware of that risk, it’s fine to do that, but for the average end-user that just wants to install Netscape and not have IE launch at odd times, there’s no reason to completely remove it and break the other software, you just force IE not to launch unless it’s absolutely needed.