FTP and gopher dropped

These protocols have been removed from the command prompt. If you want to use them install a third party program to do so. This is a security related fix that should have happened a long time ago.

WinHTTP now in use

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/winhttp/http/about_winhttp.asp

WinINet is the name of the old one. I won't pretend to know the differences other than the above services are no longer supported. Read the MSDN page if you want more info.

A wireless network setup wizard is brand new and looks very nice.

Outro

"Most of these features are designed to defend against malicious attacks on systems even when they do not have the latest patches installed. Microsoft understands that security technologies are only one aspect of a sound defense-in-depth security strategy. The security technologies outlined here are the next steps being taken in the Trustworthy Computing initiative to help to make customers? systems more resilient."

We should be seeing the official release of this sometime in the next couple of months. The release date still says mid 2004. Beta started sometime last year. The main focus of this service pack is security.

Microsoft has created an online training course that details the implications of installing SP2 on Windows XP machines. The course covers the impact on existing applications and includes code samples. (http://msdn.microsoft.com/security/productinfo/XPSP2/default.aspx)

Microsoft's Visual Studio .Net is will not be fully function with this SP. The developer tool's remote debugging feature won't work because of the Firewall. Another MS product that'll break is the .Net Framework. It'll only break in the Itanium and AMD64's with memory protection turned on.