Windows Archive

Microsoft is developing versions of Windows with only a subset of its code base, designed for specific server tasks. The intention is to reduce maintenance costs and create products that are less vulnerable to attack, and so tackle head-on the threat posed by Linux.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was in a lighthearted mood during a swing through the Netherlands, but did he give a serious clue about Longhorn?

A free technology preview for Windows XP Embedded with Service Pack 2 (SP2) is available for download and testing. Enhancements coming in Service Pack 2 include stronger default security settings, advanced remote device management, and additional networking and multimedia features that enable further device innovation. Microsoft also announced today Windows Embedded for Point of Service, a new standardized software platform for POS terminals, which will be based on Windows XP Embedded with SP2.

Newly released is the Platform SDK for Windows XP Service Pack 2 support (includes MDAC 2.8, Tablet 1.7 and Windows Installer 3.0).

Windows XP SP2 is 99% great, but the 1% that isn't turns a gift into a bomb. If Microsoft wants to win hearts and pocketbooks, then the product teams need to relearn how to treat customers with respect. With minimal effort, Microsoft could show paying customers that they are valued partners, rather than adversaries. Karsten Schneider writes about his experience with SP2, and his ideas of what it would take to turn a rock into rocks!

This update helps resolve an issue on computers running Windows XP Service Pack 2. Programs that connect to IP addresses in the loopback address range may not work as expected and you may receive an error message indicating you cannot establish a connection. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer. Elsewhere, this download installs Microsoft Windows Script containing Visual Basic Script Edition (VBScript.) Version 5.6, JScript Version 5.6, Windows Script Components, Windows Script Host 5.6, and Windows Script Runtime Version 5.6.

Because of the long march to Longhorn, Gartner recommended that companies standardize on Windows XP SP2 so that they will have the option of buying into the first Longhorn release or waiting for a future release that includes WinFS. In the mean time, customers shouldn't make plans that include the system, Gartner said.

Microsoft plans to announce next week that it is ready to ship Virtual Server, a product that allows a server to run multiple operating systems, or multiple copies of the same OS at a single time.

Microsoft had released a special registry key for large customers that delays Windows XP SP2's automatic download and installation for 120 days, to give companies time to prepare for the update. They have decided to extend that timeframe to 240 days, due to pressure from customers.

Jim Allchin is group vice president of Microsoft’s Platforms Group and has overall responsibility for the Windows operating system. He talks about Longhorn, security, 64 bit, open source, and life at Microsoft. Read the interview.

"We evaluated the security features of Windows XP SP2 on a test machine, following a clean install of XP Pro with no configuration changes and no third-party software or drivers installed. We installed XP with the NTFS file system, choosing all of the factory defaults, then patched it with each recommended security update including SP-1 (required), before installing SP2." Read the rest at TheRegister.

"Last week's announcement of the changes in Longhorn were interesting: the backporting of Avalon and the removal of WinFS from the mix. It was clear that the only way to get Avalon adopted was by backporting it in some capacity to older OSes." Read Miguel's take on Longhorn's delays here.

After nearly two years on the market, makers of tablet PCs based on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition have yet to prove that the pen is mightier than the keyboard.

Jim Allchin is the Group Vice President for Platforms at Microsoft. The Channel 9 team sat down with Jim yesterday and asked him to share his thoughts on the updated Windows "Longhorn" plan and schedule that was announced on Friday.  Jim gives an overview of the updates to the plan and schedule, how Microsoft reached the decision, and how it affects developers.