Word: xp
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...What am I talking about? I'm talking about the fact that Windows XP, the next generation PC operating system which just entered its penultimate testing phase, has had its Java removed. Java is the plug-and-play web application that works on any machine. It is the code behind most of the animation on tens of thousands of websites out there. It is what, for many years, made the American flag flutter at whitehouse.gov, and examples don't get much more patriotic than that...
...Tuesday I was playing around with the latest beta version of XP on my home machine. I'd tried it before (see columns passim) only to scramble for the deinstall button when it caused a dozen different conflicts. But this time, after 24 hours of tweaking, it worked. I finally had a stable Windows environment that refused to crash on me. I was just ogling the cool blue taskbar and gorgeous 3D icons the afternoon Microsoft announced - very, very quietly - that there would be no Java support built into XP. When the final version is launched, if you really truly...
...much else, that the world will simply revolve around it. Webmasters will notice the sudden disappearance of Java support, and quickly ditch the jewel in Sun's crown and start using XML, which forms the basis of Microsoft's .Net software. Much the same thing is happening with the XP version of Windows Media Player, which Microsoft has just announced will support the MP3 format - as long as you download a plug-in and pay an extra $15 for the privilege, that is. Otherwise, all your WMP digital music will be in Microsoft's proprietary format...
...retreat at the first whiff of consumer backlash. So if you care at all about the right of web designers to use whatever language they like without fear of users being blocked from seeing their efforts, write Microsoft and let them know you'll be thinking twice about purchasing XP. After all, it's a pretty dreary world without a regular shot of Java...
...company that could be first in line: AOL Time Warner, the parent company of TIME. In recent talks about renewing AOL's spot on Windows XP, Microsoft sought indemnity from future antitrust claims. AOL refused, and the deal died. AOL might sue, claiming that Netscape, the Internet browser it now owns, was harmed by Microsoft's monopolistic behavior. Estimates of potential damage are in the billions of dollars. Other companies that could sue: Microsoft-loathing Sun Microsystems, RealNetworks and Oracle...