Commentary: XP Service Pack 1
ZDNet | at | by Mike
Back when Windows had version numbers, the conventional wisdom--based on informed experience--said to wait for the .1 version. Now it says to wait for the first service pack. I've always thought this was a little simplistic; why not wait for the second service pack or the next full version after that? But anyway, it looks like it will soon be cool to get Windows XP; we're in the homestretch for the first service pack. Although this service pack is clearly a landmark for Windows and probably the most important service pack in the history of the software industry--politically as Gartner suggests--it may not mean much to you if you've been updating all along.
It's been suggested that this service pack could help convince the judge to accept the proposed DOJ settlement. At first I figured that it would have no weight in this regard; after all, Microsoft has suggested that it would be impossible to implement the nine dissenting states' proposed remedies. On reflection, the service pack's existence does give the proposed settlement an advantage: Assuming that SP1 properly implements the terms of the proposed settlement (something the court shouldn't just take for granted), then the terms have been met. In contrast, the timeline for the dissenters' proposed remedies is not only uncertain--Microsoft claims it may not be doable. Whatever you think of Microsoft's claims in this regard, clearly it would be a long time before we would see any solutions to the dissenters' proposed remedy.