• Illustration: Set Program Access and Defaults
• Illustration: Error Reporting

The first Windows XP service pack gives users and OEMs more power to choose which so-called middleware (such as Web browsers and digital media players) gets prominent placement on PCs. Scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2002, the service pack also includes the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine, which was removed from the original release of Windows XP. With this service pack, Microsoft is not only providing an integration-tested set of fixes for known bugs and some minor system improvements but also trying to show that it can be trusted to comply with court rulings and settlements.

Complying with DoJ Settlement

Currently in beta test, Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) will contain a new Set Program Access and Defaults dialog box designed to help Microsoft comply with the proposed settlement it signed with the Department of Justice (DoJ) and nine states in Nov. 2001. This proposed settlement would place certain restrictions on Microsoft's behavior and includes a requirement to provide a mechanism for end users and OEMs to completely remove access—including all icons, shortcuts, and Start menu entries—to any "Microsoft middleware product," such as the Internet Explorer (IE) browser. (For more information, including the definition of "Microsoft middleware product," see "Effects of the Antitrust Settlement" on page 13 of the Jan. 2002 Update.)

Although the presiding judge in the case has not yet approved the settlement (a decision is expected by the end of Aug. 2002), Microsoft is proceeding to implement the terms and conditions of the proposed settlement. The company hopes to convince the court that this proposed settlement is strong enough to prevent Microsoft from committing future antitrust violations, and that Microsoft is willing to adhere to it. Thus, Microsoft hopes to show that more stringent restrictions proposed by nine other states are unnecessary.

Set Program Access and Defaults

When a user installs SP1 and opens the Add or Remove Programs Control Panel, he will see not only the current icons for Change or Remove Programs, Add New Programs, or Add/Remove Windows Components but will also see a new Set Program Access and Defaults icon. Clicking on this icon opens a dialog box that allows a user to set defaults for several middleware "client types": browser, e-mail client, digital media player, instant messaging client, and virtual machine for Java. The user has three options: use Microsoft middleware exclusively, use non-Microsoft alternatives, or choose between Microsoft and non-Microsoft alternatives for each client type. (See the illustration "Set Program Access and Defaults".)

It is not likely that many existing Windows XP users will make use of the feature, as those who use non-Microsoft middleware, such as the Opera Web browser or Real Audio’s RealPlayer, have already downloaded these products and configured them to work in place of Microsoft’s defaults. Also, the dialog box only hides access to the middleware; it does not remove or uninstall any middleware programs, and those programs could still be activated in some cases. For example, a program that relies on the HTML-based help system in Windows could still invoke components of IE, even if a user has selected Netscape Navigator as his default Web browser.

OEMs, on the other hand, can now offer non-Microsoft middleware preinstalled on their PCs, and can even charge third parties to have their middleware featured prominently on the desktop. After the service pack is released, new PCs with Windows XP will feature an option in Set Program Access and Defaults labeled "OEM," which will allow the user to restore the middleware preinstalled by the OEM.

Set Program Access and Defaults will also be a part of Service Pack 3 for Windows 2000, which will also be released in the third quarter of 2002.

Java Virtual Machine Returns

In an effort to fend off some legal complaints by Sun Microsystems, SP1 will also include Microsoft’s Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

Microsoft removed its JVM from the original release of Windows XP, citing the threat that Sun might bring litigation about the JVM to delay XP’s release or force Microsoft to recall the operating system once it was released. Instead, users with new Windows XP PCs had to download Microsoft's JVM from its Web site. (For more information, see "Java Out of Windows XP" on page 20 of the Sept. 2001 Update.)

Microsoft says it is restoring its JVM because Sun claims (in a private antitrust suit against Microsoft) the download violates agreements between the companies, and Microsoft does not want this to be an issue in the private suit. Microsoft is also attempting to score a public relations win, as the original removal of Java support was seen as a competitive tactic to bolster its .NET development platform.

Microsoft says it will drop its JVM from all shipping versions of Windows in 2004 because Microsoft will no longer receive any security updates from Sun after this date.

Security Fixes, .NET Framework Included

Windows XP SP1 will roll up approximately 40 Quick Fix Engineering (QFE), application compatibility, and security fixes that have appeared since Microsoft released Windows XP in Oct. 2001. Some fixes are the result of the code review Microsoft recently undertook following Bill Gates's "Trustworthy Computing" e-mail to all employees (see "Gates Puts Focus on Trustworthy Computing" on page 10 of the Feb. 2002 Update), and some fixes are the result of the ongoing quality-improvement program that uploads information about program execution failures on user systems to Microsoft for analysis. (See the illustration "Error Reporting".)

SP1 will also give users the option to install Microsoft’s .NET Framework, its new platform for developing Windows applications and Web services, including the Common Language Runtime (CLR), the base classes, and ASP.NET. Because Microsoft released the .NET Framework after Windows XP, users who wanted the .NET Framework on Windows XP had to download the framework components or install the .NET Framework SDK.

Finally, SP1 will include updated support for Universal Serial Bus (USB) version 2.0, but due to the lack of Bluetooth peripheral devices for testing, Bluetooth support will not be included.

Distribution

Final distribution details have not been released, but it is likely that users will be able to download SP1 for free from Microsoft’s Web site, or order a CD for the cost of the media and shipping. Corporate customers with a volume license agreement who install Windows XP from volume media will be able to slipstream the service pack (install it simultaneously with the basic operating system) so that they can more easily build new machines using the latest binaries.

OEMs will receive a version of the service pack that includes support for new technologies that Microsoft is releasing in the same time frame, such as support for Windows Powered Smart Displays (code-named Mira), Tablet PCs, and the Freestyle digital video recording and playback technology for PCs. (See "DVR Lives on After UltimateTV".) These components are not being included with the general release of the service pack, as they require specialized hardware.

Resources

For more information on Windows XP, see www.microsoft.com/windowsxp.

For information on changes that must be made to middleware for it to register with the Set Program and Access Defaults feature, see "Register Programs with Client Types" in the Windows Shell Programmers Guide at msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/Shell/programmersguide/shell_adv/registeringapps.asp?frame=true.