Some more XP SP1 news, this time from Paul Thurrott who sums up the happenings and relevations of XP SP1 news hitting the web most of last week.
From Wininfo: This week, I spoke with Greg Sullivan, the lead product manager for Windows XP, about the upcoming Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) release. This upgrade to Microsoft"s best-selling OS will provide bug fixes, new capabilities (USB 2.0 support and enabling technologies for Freestyle, Mira, and the Tablet PC), and what Microsoft calls consent compliance, a set of changes the company"s proposed antitrust settlement with the US government dictated. SP1"s consent-compliance component consists of a new Add or Remove Programs add-in called Configure Program Defaults that lets you hide--but not remove--Microsoft middleware, including Internet Explorer (IE), Windows Media Player (WMP), Windows Messenger, Outlook Express, and Microsoft"s Java Virtual Machine (VM), and add third-party applications. For more information, I have the full story about SP1, including some information that might surprise you, on the SuperSite for Windows.
From SuperSite for Windows: XP SP1 will enter beta in a couple of weeks, with a release candidate (RC) phase expected this summer and RTM (Release To Manufacturing) due between July and September. SP1 will be available for free download or via CD for the cost of shipping and handling. Additionally, the Windows XP retail packaging will be updated to include SP1. That is, beginning in October, all retail copies of XP will include the SP1 code, slipstreamed into the Gold version of XP. Sullivan told me that Microsoft hadn"t decided yet how the SP1 version would be differentiated from the Gold version, other than that the included CD-ROM would mention SP1 in some way. The retail box may include a sticker, but the company is concerned that customers might think they need to purchase another Windows version if a "new version" sticker is used.