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Windows XP - More than just a pretty face?
Sun Review July 21, 2001

The release of Microsoft's new operating system Windows XP may still be months away but the tech world is already abuzz with rumours and speculation. Will this be the next killer app to spur sales of new PCs and software, injecting some much-needed optimism into the computer industry, or is it just another piece of bloatware?

Microsoft is hoping that the future of computing lies in the immense array of MP3 players, digital cameras and other peripherals that you can connect to a PC that is always on and continually hooked up to the Internet. The new operating system (OS) will feature user-friendly language and bright icons, designed to help ease the anxieties of users and make it easier to connect all these gadgets. Overall, XP has a cleaner user interface and includes more intuitive commands and wizards. Microsoft's sales team states emphatically that XP is THE solution for a complete experience with all things digital - from e-mail and digital music to printing and publishing on the Web.

But this shiny, happy new OS belies a darker purpose. To combat software piracy and eliminate casual copying of its software, Microsoft is using a new product-activation technology (already included in the new Office XP software) that requires people to activate their PC online or by telephone to continue using the software. This technology has attracted much criticism from both privacy advocates and customers, who are concerned about the amount of information Microsoft could collect from them. Those of us concerned with privacy issues while using the Web should take notice: If you thought cookies were bad, this could be a virtual bumbleberry pie of information sent directly to the big giant's headquarters in Redmond, WA.

Fully Licensed, a German start-up company, recently published a paper online (www.licenturion.com/xp) that assures us there's little to fear. The paper discloses that Windows XP activation uses the IDs of 10 different hardware components to form the basis of a PC's fingerprint, and apparently proves that such fingerprints cannot be used to identify individuals.

But in my mind, it seems perfectly plausible that Microsoft can keep tabs on you ALL the time, not just for a one-time product activation, but while you are using your properly licensed Microsoft software on your own computer. What better way to find out exactly what your customers want by analyzing their use of your software? And if we truly start to move towards the .NET strategy, we're really in trouble. This strategy could relegate the desktop computer to relative obscurity and possibly eliminate privacy altogether. Using your computer to connect to Microsoft's central servers which supply the programs you use, you are handing away any privacy you might have retained had the programs been stored on your own hard drive. There's virtually no limit to the amount of information that could be collected from you while you use these centrally stored and delivered applications. If you think I'm an alarmist, don't forget that Microsoft already controls more than 90% of the desktop operating system market. Microsoft is also supplying network services and is purchasing portions of banks, industry magazines and other businesses. Not only will Microsoft control the delivery medium, it will also control the message. Will all of computer science be filtered through Redmond, Washington?

One final note: Microsoft is quietly removing support for Java in its new products, which means XP users will be directed to download a plug-in from Microsoft's website to make Java-based programs and webpages work. Without this step, "any Web page that contains Java applications will not run - it will be a dead page," said Jan Vitek, a professor of computer science at Purdue University, Ind. "This favors Microsoft's new technologies, and will inconvenience consumers," he said.

Windows XP is slated for release in October. Your computer must be pre-installed with Windows 2000 Professional or Windows ME and have a minimum of 128MB of RAM. Those of you with Windows 95 are out of luck.

Questions or comments? E-mail inge@ingenius.bc.ca