[Bridging_the_digital_divide] Microsoft and XP SP2 impact on schools?

Fri Jul 30 12:46:45 EDT 2004

WinXP SP2 raises compatibility fears
  From eSchool News staff and wire service reports
  July 30, 2004

  When software giant Microsoft Corp. releases a major security overhaul 
of its oft-targeted Windows XP operating system (OS) next month, the 
company is likely to find a number of school customers resistant to 
change. Though the upgrade promises to make the embattled OS safer, 
school leaders worry the transition will create significant headaches 
for their busy IT staff, many of whom say the timing couldn't be worse.

  "The timing is horrific for schools," said Sandra Becker, director of 
technology for the 4,000-student Governor Mifflin School District in 
Shillington, Pa. "We usually use the summer to refresh and update all 
computers."

  Going into a new school year, Becker isn't exactly jumping at the 
chance to outfit the 800-plus computers in her district that are 
currently running XP with Microsoft's beefed-up Service Pack 2 (SP2), 
reportedly the biggest security upgrade ever for Windows.

  "Changing an operating system involves [investing a great deal of] 
time in testing," Becker said, "especially with Microsoft products."

  Safer XP or not, there's no telling how the upgrade might affect the 
myriad of learning resources and special-education applications 
configured to run on the older system, said Becker, adding that she 
wouldn't have sufficient time to address these and other compatibility 
issues until at least the winter break.

  As Microsoft toes the line between compatibility and safety, the 
impending overhaul has elicited grumbling from school and business 
customers alike, whose applications could require major changes--and 
glee from security experts who say any software product that doesn't 
work wasn't secure enough in the first place and needs to be fixed.

  "The applications that will break with SP2 were essentially doing 
things wrong from a security perspective," said John Pescatore, vice 
president of internet security at Gartner Research.

  SP2 comes in response to a series of attacks that have plagued 
Microsoft's products, taking advantage of vulnerabilities to spread 
viruses, steal personal information, and otherwise wreak havoc.

  Some companies rushing to make their applications compatible--or 
trying to negotiate last-minute Microsoft changes--complain that SP2 is 
creating headaches.

  "The changes Microsoft is proposing for SP2 will have serious negative 
consequences on the consumer experience of many applications and web 
sites," RealNetworks spokeswoman Erika Shaffer said. The Microsoft 
rival makes a digital music and video player and sells subscription 
download services.

  The new system bolsters security on Windows, its built-in Internet 
Explorer browser, and Outlook Express eMail. Among the changes: A 
Windows Firewall will be turned on automatically, helping to guard 
against attack. The browser has been fortified, and a new attachment 
manager will offer tougher policing against eMail-borne attacks.

  The changes in the way Windows polices itself--particularly the newly 
strengthened firewall--could cause troubles for applications that are 
used to working with Windows' old ways. Some say that's particularly 
true of applications that regularly interact online, such as gaming 
programs or music services.

  Security experts say it's tough to know how many companies might have 
to change their products to be compatible.

  Microsoft has delayed SP2's release, originally scheduled for June, 
amid efforts to improve compatibility. Microsoft group product manager 
Barry Goffe says the "vast majority of applications" should function 
properly when SP2 comes out.

  In the end, analysts believe most consumers will avoid major problems 
because most companies that have problems will fix them by the time SP2 
is released. Gartner Research estimates that a mere 3 percent of 
applications that run on Windows won't work once SP2 is out.

  Perhaps the biggest change with SP2 will be a host of new alerts the 
user suddenly will get, offering more detailed information about what 
programs are trying to contact the computer and giving the user more 
chances to accept or decline.

  Macromedia Inc.'s Flash technology required only minor technical 
changes to make it compatible with SP2. But the company was more 
concerned about early language in these warnings that could make even 
legitimate interactions seem scary and unwise.

  David Mendels, Macromedia's senior vice president in charge of 
developer products, said Microsoft was very responsive to its concerns. 
Now, he said, the prompts are less dire and more specific.

  Microsoft's own products are not immune. Joe Wilcox, a senior Jupiter 
Research analyst who is testing an early version of SP2, recently was 
blocked from using Microsoft's Office Live Meeting conferencing 
product. Although he could have overridden that, Wilcox instead skipped 
the online option and called on a regular phone.

  To Gartner's Pescatore, such inconveniences are worth it.

  "From a security perspective, the problems we've been having--these 
worms and such--we can often blame on things that need to be fixed in 
Windows," Pescatore said. "So when Microsoft finally gets around to 
fixing them, it's going to take some pain to get past that point."

  But Marc Liebman, superintendent of the Marysville Joint Unified 
School District in California, doesn't quite see it that way.

  "My belief is that the real problem is not the fix, it is the fact 
that [Microsoft] designs software and brings it to market before these 
types of issues are identified and resolved," he said. "While new 
problems will always come up, if [Microsoft] has the quality engineers 
it professes, then these problems should be anticipated--and many are 
not."

  Liebman said his district, which uses XP on 20 percent of its 
machines, does not plan to not install the upgrade, at least for this 
school year. "We currently have effective hardware, firewalls, virus 
protection software, and numerous filtering systems in place to protect 
our system," he said.

  With those protections in place, Liebman said, the district has little 
need to make a switch, especially one that could prove to be a problem 
for administrative and instructional software.

  "We will let the field play out the problems and develop the necessary 
fixes before transferring over," he said.

  Microsoft says it will make SP2 available for download through its 
web-based Automatic Update applications. The company also plans to 
distribute the service pack on CD-ROM and is currently in talks with 
major retail outlets to increase distribution and visibility of the 
free product.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=5199
---

Jason Barkeloo
President
TouchSmart Publishing
http://www.touchsmart.net
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f: 206.666.4856

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