DoJ Compliance Shapes First XP Service Pack

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.)