Windows XP Service Pack 2 Beta Review

Paul Thurrott over at WinInfo has thrown up a look at what you’re going to get when Microsoft release service pack 2 for windows XP this year.  In January, Microsoft issued a semi-public beta of its upcoming Service Pack 2 (SP2) release for Windows XP, a major upgrade for XP users that’s focused largely on security. The Windows XP SP2 Beta isn’t feature-complete–Microsoft tells me it’s still fine-tuning the final feature set–but it does provide an interesting look at the direction the company is taking with its so-called “Springboard” security technologies.
which are designed to retroactively apply recent security thinking to pre-existing products. (XP SP2 isn’t the only Springboard release you can expect to see this year: Office 2003 Service Release 1, due in May, will also feature Springboard security technologies, as will Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, due in late 2004.)



We’ve got quite a bit of work to do before its end-user ready,” Matt Pilla, senior product manager for the Windows group, told me during a recent visit to the Microsoft campus. “The goal here is to get security features out to customers as soon as possible, but make sure its customizable enough that it doesn’t block deployments.” Pilla told me that 500 or so beta testers are evaluating the SP2 Beta code, in addition to MSDN Universal members. The goal now is to get feedback on the changes. The SP2 Beta isn’t writ in stone: Microsoft has already made some changes since the SP2 Beta release and will significantly change the user interface for updated features like the Windows Firewall and wireless networking between now and the final release, Pilla said.

  Windows XP Service Pack 2 Beta Review