Neowin.net

Thanks Daniel and W for the emails and Greenmuncher for posting on the forum.

Dear Microsoft Beta Tester,

Welcome to the Beta 1 release of Microsoft DirectX 9. The DirectX 9 Beta1 SDK download is now available at BetaPlace. We make our beta releases available to a select group of developers and enthusiasts to help us ensure that our final release is stable and secure. Your involvement is critical to this goal...

To access BetaPlace, visit the link below. Sign in using your Beta ID and Password listed below. Be sure to keep this information on hand, as you will need to include it in all correspondence with the Microsoft Beta Group regarding your program, as well as to log on to BetaPlace.

View: Microsoft BetaPlace

Ditching Applications

Longtime Microsoft critics may welcome one feature new to Windows XP, meant to comply with the November 2001 antitrust settlement agreement between Microsoft and the Justice Department. Buried in the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs module, the new "Set Program Access and Defaults" settings allow both end users and system vendors to specify which programs handle key tasks, including Web browsing, e-mail, instant messaging, media playback, and Java interpreting.

In addition to selecting the default application, the new feature can also hide installed programs--including Microsoft programs--from users. For the first time since Windows 95 (which shipped with only a rudimentary media player), PC vendors armed with the updated version of XP will be free to ship systems that use browsers, media players, and other tools from Microsoft competitors like Netscape and Opera instead of Microsoft's own utilities.

IDC's Kusnetzky says he doubts many system vendors will go to that extreme, because it might confuse customers accustomed to using Microsoft tools. Still, he finds the settings a plus.

"If the features are used to embellish an otherwise standard environment to make it work more easily and be easier to support, the changes will be seen as both beneficial and a competitive differentiator," Kusnetzky says. It's important to note that removing access to the Microsoft tools is not the same as removing the tools entirely, Kusnetzky adds. The browser and media player will still be there. The icons, menu references, and Registry entries are removed, but not the software they point to.

Ready for Tablet PC

Although Microsoft says SP1's official release will be in the second half of 2002, it's likely to ship sooner than that so new PC designs supported by the service pack can reach stores in time for holiday shopping.

Supported are the Freestyle PC, geared to home entertainment and viewed through the television screen; the Mira PC with its detachable, wireless tablet display; and Tablet PCs, which offer handwriting recognition. According to Microsoft, all three PC designs will be in the market by fall, and will require SP1's enhancements.

Other SP1 enhancements include support for USB 2.0 devices (already available from Microsoft's Web site), and key changes to the Windows Product Activation antipiracy mechanism. Microsoft has added a three-day grace period to WPA that it says will prevent unexpected hardware changes from locking you out of your PC while you're on an airplane and away from a phone.

Microsoft is developing an update to Windows Media Player, code-named Corona, but it won't be ready in time for SP1, say company sources. And although Netscape is forging on with new versions of its browser, Microsoft says it has no imminent plans for an update to Internet Explorer.

As with previous service packs, Microsoft will make Windows XP SP1 available as a free download from WindowsUpdate.com, probably about the same size of previous service packs, which range from 25MB to 30MB. You can also order a CD for a nominal shipping and handling charge. Dutiful XP updaters needn't worry that installing SP1 will require downloading megabytes of duplicate patches--Windows Update will send only those features that you haven't already installed.