Evaluating Windows XP Service Pack 2 RC2

dncsky1530 writes "Information Week has a good evaluation of Windows XP SP2, excerpt: "The code for release candidate 2 finally looks like a real release candidate. And sure enough, it will help you big-time with security. But what sorts of headaches will the eventual final version mean for IT shops? We'll take it piece by piece... Remember when Microsoft said service packs wouldn't deliver any new functionality? That lasted for about six months back in 1997. Windows XP Service Pack 2 is jammed-packed with both invisible and visible improvements to Windows XP. The biggest boon is that the free update, which will probably ship some time in September, does in fact make Windows XP far more secure""

Comments

Three months to go?

[Anonymous Coward]

I must check for companies that are now posting jobs asking for two years experience in WinXP SP 2. (It goes nicely with the five years .NET experience.)

Re:So...

[Anonymous Coward]

Will they allow PC magazines to publish the patch, like older days? The kids usually get around to clicking on everything, so its a great medium to get defacto updates on more systems, and that has to be good., given there is a subborn niche still on modems.

Re:Won't matter, they won't install it.

[foidulus]

people who don't even know what "right-click" means.
So you are talking about Mac users?
*Note: This post comes from someone using OS X on his iBook, and has had a g5 on order for about a week(with almost another week till it leaves the factory..grrr why does it take so long?!)

Anyone else see an internal contradiction?

[gilroy]

From the article

With the browser battle long since won, there's nothing forcing Microsoft to do much of anything about improving the functionality of Internet Explorer
...
No wonder so many people are jumping ship for Mozilla Firefox and Opera.

Re:Won't matter, they won't install it.

[mopslik]

people who don't even know what "right-click" means.

So you are talking about Mac users?

Don't be silly. If you want to right click, simply use your ring finger/pinky instead of your index/middle finger.

Of course, Windows often requires me to use my middle finger more than any other...

Is anyone else disturbed by this comment?

[snero3]

But while you may have long since decided that Windows isn't very well engineered, I would have to disagree with you on that point. Windows is simply the only seriously interesting target for hackers, virus and word authors, and spammers.

I don't know about you but how does being a serious target for hackers, virus and word authors justify it as being "well engineered"? I would have thought that classified it as being poorly engineered??

Re:New features, yes.

[Threni]

> That's what the fucking tray is there for, isn't it?

No, that's for displaying icons so you can left-click on them. Or double click. Or right click. Or left click then choose an item from a menu. Or right click and choose and item from a menu. Or...

Re:New features, yes.

[wo1verin3]

Everytime I see the ad for the free dancing stripped on my desktop, I'm so torn on deciding on if I should install it :(

I just deployed Service Pack 3

[Anonymous Coward]

Linux...

"Virus warning!"

[ohad_l]

I think that's the only way we can start to generate some user-awareness to spyware. Every time a site tries to install any software or run a script with any elevated priveleges, the screen should go absolutely blank and stall for 2 seconds, then flash a giant VIRUS WARNING message in blinking red text, and sound a klaxon on the speakers. Then the "do you want to install?" message should appear in a size 6 font, followed by two buttons: A 5x5 pixel dark-gray (remember, the background is black) button for "Yes", and a 200x200 green button for "Yes". And maybe then people will hesitate to install spyware. I don't know how much good that will do either.

Re:New features, yes.

[Caraig]

I looked at where I had just been typing and it had stolen the "n" out of one of my words to answer that dialog box.

THIEF! Windowses! Takes our precious! Hates it, we does!