In Service Pack 2, Microsoft has built on the foundation of the original firewall.
It provided the features of a stateful firewall (meaning that it has the ability to keep information about the sate of connections) and could also configure itself on the fly with uPNP. The ICF was a part of Windows XP SP1, and for a simple throw-in, it was fairly sound. In SP2 Beta, you need to press "Configure" which then opens the following window. "Allow" and "disallow" would be better options than "Configure" and "Close". Reminiscent of Zone Alarm, I was presented with an onslaught of dialog boxes asking me if it is ok for certain programs (MSN Messenger, AIM) to receive data from the Internet. Depending on which programs you have installed, on startup you will immediately notice the revamped Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). Upon making your selection Windows continues its initial start-up and you then end up at your desktop. Unlike Windows XP SP1, where Windows just floats a notification window detailing the automatic update ability, Service Pack 2 has a full-screen window that refuses to be ignored ? you cannot exit without making a decision. Upon initial restart, Windows will require you to make a decision about Automatic Updating.
Like other Windows Service Packs, installation is straightforward. Slated for release in Summer 2004, SP2 weighs in at a hefty 222MB (which includes debug symbols) in its beta form. In case you are slow on the uptake, Windows XP Service Pack 2 is all about security. Service Pack 2 addresses security concerns, fixes previous security issues, and implements new security features. At first thought, one might think "big deal? Service Packs from Microsoft are generally bug squashers." Things are different this time. Microsoft has taken the wraps off of Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. Longhorn is still at least two years away, leaving the rest of us who use the currently-available Windows XP wondering what the next big XP update will hold. With other operating systems such as Mac OS X (Panther) and Linux (Kernel 2.6) getting significant updates, some are wondering, what Microsoft is up to? A few months ago, developers were given a preview to Microsoft Windows Longhorn. Microsoft is in the news more for security problems with Windows (whether fairly or not) than any other issue. If there is one thing Microsoft is preoccupied with right now, it would have to be security.
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