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Will the XPerience
be worth it?
WHY would you buy a new operating system? Either because you are unhappy with the performance of your old system, or simply because you are enamoured with the features the new one promised. Computer users the world over will take a look at the operating systems installed in their machines following the release of Microsoft XP. Microsoft has developed two versions of the new operating system — Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition. The Professional version is supposed to be an upgrade to Windows 2000 Professional, while the Home Edition version is an upgrade to Windows ’98/Me. Windows XP has many
new features, and promises security and stability. However, it seems
that Microsoft can’t do anything without controversy—there have
been serious concerns about privacy issues, as the accompanying
article shows. |
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What’s new in XP? It looks better, runs smoother and includes more consumer-oriented features than ever. However, there is a catch, like its predecessors, it may entail additional, unanticipated costs.
Each time the company releases a new operating system, you need to upgrade the computer. However, one of the greatest features about this OS is stability. According to Microsoft, it is 10 to 30 times more stable than Windows ’98 or Me. For anyone accustomed to seeing blue screens in the middle of important work or play routines, this is of utmost importance. Of course, it comes at a cost. XP abandons the outdated DOS and is based on the NT technology, which is far more reliable. At the same time, it has a good interface, which NT lacked. Much care is evident in the new look and as you log on to a computer, you can create personal profiles that enable multiple users on one machine. This ensures privacy, and also provides a secure environment to everyone concerned. You don’t have to log off for another user to work, the applications of the first user run in the background while the other works, thus the father’s article and Word will remain open even as the daughter listens to the latest in music. Digital fun stuff These days everyone is learning to live with digitisation. Our music is digitised, our photos can be shot on digital media and transferred via computers, video camcorders are digital… all this has been integrated into XP which has many new fun features like video-enabled instant messaging, digital photo editing or the souped-up music and video player. All this will demand more memory, and larger hard drives, among other things. But you knew that, didn’t you? Windows Media Player 8 has new features such has DVD video playback with rich media information and full screen controls, CD-to-PC music copying and automatic conversion to MP3 files. It, however, does not let you rip MP3 files, for which you need third party software. It also has digital broadcast support, accelerated video rendering with PEG-2 video acceleration, and video mixing. The Windows Movie Maker 1.1 gives base-level features for Windows Media capture and file creation. Whereas the digital photo supports functions give many options to manipulate digital images. Not that these functions were not available earlier, its just that the integrated interface makes them more user friendly and will probably result in saving time. Of course, the competitors are complaining that their applications have been ridden off in the new OS. It is a complaint that does have certain basis, thought it is not likely that too many customers will complain about this. Easy networking XP makes networking much easier, especially for home use and for wireless connectivity. The days of stand-alone computers are numbered and many homes have more than one computer. In order to optimally use them, networking is essential. It gives you new things to do with your PC by making it easier for you to communicate. The new features make networking as easy as it is for the rival minority Apple OS. Also, XP has good wireless networking features, still it is the second OS (Apple had the first) really optimised for wireless local area networking, which is becoming increasingly common abroad. Internet access As a part of its .Net thrust Microsoft has incorporated many features that promise to make the life of the online community easier. To look at security first, the new Internet Connection Firewall, or ICF, is activated when your network connections are set up. The new firewall feature helps make your PC invisible while it’s connected to Internet at large. However, you must keep in mind that unlike virus-protection software, ICF records intrusions in a log file. It can’t provide you virus protection, for which you need software like McAfee and Norton anti-virus programs. Of course, XP integrates various Microsoft applications like Passport and Internet Explorer even more tightly than before, US Justice Department’s concerns notwithstanding, and this enables a seamless Internet experience, even if it reduces competitor’s applications like Netscape or Real Player to adjuncts. Indianisation There has been an extensive Indianisation effort and the Indian version has support for nine Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Konkiani, Kannada, Marathi and Punjabi. This neatly dovetails into the Indianisation that has already been seen in the Office XP suit and is thus likely to give a boost to the product, since it will enhance its appeal in the non-English-speaking segment too. Activation pains One of the most significant irritants about the new operating system is its activation feature. On an Internet -connected PC, it is a matter of sending a unique code from your PC to a server at Microsoft. That server then returns an activation code, which allows you to keep using the operating system. In case you do not have Internet access, you can call Microsoft to get the activation code; otherwise the program will die on you after a specified period. The problem is that the unique code belongs to your computer alone and acts as a flag to Microsoft if your copy shows up on another PC or you significantly alter some part of your PC. This means that if you make significant hardware changes, which could well be necessitated because of the requirements of your new OS, you will need to activate the program all over again. While there is no doubt that Microsoft and other software manufacturers have been hit hard by piracy and they need to defend their intellectual property rights, not many are willing to bet that this procedure is ironclad guarantee against piracy. It is probably only a matter of time before hackers break the code. In the meantime, many users may have unpleasant experiences, especially as they upgrade their computers. Smart tags What Microsoft calls smart tags are browser-integrated pieces of code, which can dynamically modify Web pages that you visit and add links to keywords the company believes you’ll want to know more about. Smart Tags in Office XP, enhance its smart document capabilities, but the company’s plans to integrate them straight into the OS and Internet Explorer were criticised so much that it has not included them as default in the XP’s Internet Explorer. One would not really bet that this change is permanent. The recent atmosphere in the US is one in which privacy concerns have taken a back seat which is surely going to prompt a rethinking on this issue. Incremental version From what we have seen, in spite of all the hype, it is clear that this is an incremental improvement, not a revolution. Neither will it set the world on fire and jumpstart the battered IT sector world-wide, as apologists assert; nor will it be the biggest threat to freedom as critics contend. Though the launch features support from
a huge number of companies for Windows XP, a precious few have actually
written software optimised for it. Also most of the companies that make
peripherals like printers and scanners would normally prefer to bundle
drivers for the new OS with their latest offerings rather than with
retrospective effect. Thus, most computer users might like to wait it
out a bit before they go in for an upgrade. Huge queues, like those seen
during the launch of Windows ’95, are unlikely, but this is where the
future of computing will move, surely though slowly. |
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Privacy
groups criticise XP CONSUMER and privacy groups criticised the US government for failing to limit certain features on Microsoft Corp.’s new Windows XP operating system that they say compromise users’ privacy.
Privacy groups, led by the Electronic Privacy Information Centre, said the Federal Trade Commission should have taken action when they filed their first complaint this summer. The complaint, signed by 13 organisations, alleges that the new operating system coerces users into revealing sensitive personal information with little control over how it will be used. In the face of government inaction, several groups said that consumers should take pains to avoid signing up for Microsoft’s Passport online identity service when they upgrade to Windows XP. Passport aims to streamline online browsing and shopping by consolidating passwords, credit card numbers and other personal information. Microsoft has already signed up 165 million users, many of them through its free Hotmail e-mail service. Users are encouraged repeatedly to sign up for the service when they set up Windows XP. Microsoft says Passport will give Web surfers more convenience and control over what information they reveal about themselves, but EPIC and others charge that it will allow the world’s largest software maker to amass a giant database of millions of Internet users who have little control over how information about them is distributed. Activists point to a spate of recent hacking incidents to claim that Microsoft databases are also vulnerable to intrusion. EPIC and other consumer groups want the FTC to investigate whether Passport amounts to an "unfair and deceptive trade practice" under federal law. ‘FTC not protecting consumers’ The consumer-protection agency’s willingness to investigate these claims "is a critical test of the FTC’s ability to protect consumer interests in the online world," said EPIC Executive Director Marc Rotenberg in a conference call. An FTC spokeswoman said she could not comment on any ongoing investigations, but said she was not aware of any investigation into Passport or Windows XP. "It hasn’t crossed my radar screen, and that’s pretty significant," said Kathy McFarland. A Microsoft spokeswoman said the company had already addressed the consumer groups’ concerns. "There’s not a whole lot new here except for recycled complaints, and Microsoft has addressed these complaints and continues to address these complaints," said Microsoft spokeswoman Tonya Klause. Since first unveiling XP early this summer, Microsoft said it would make Passport more open to other companies and require online merchants using Passport to employ P3P technology, which allows consumers to more easily determine the privacy practices of a Web site. But those changes are not enough, privacy groups said. A central point of dispute is the Windows XP registration process, which asks users five separate times if they would like to set up a Passport account. Privacy groups want that process changed. Jason Catlett, president of privacy group Junkbusters Corp., said consumers should not be led to believe that they must sign up for Passport in order to access the Internet. "Microsoft is not the lord of the Internet, however much they claim to be," he said. "My advice is just say no, no, no, no, no." Catlett and others stopped short of calling on consumers to boycott the new operating system, which boasts increased stability among its many new features. But consumers should not be forced to give up their privacy in order to enjoy a computer that crashes less often, he said. "Consumers shouldn’t have to
weigh four blue screens of death per week versus having their privacy
violated," he said. — Reuters |
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