Microsoft is hurrying to produce a post Service Pack 1 security rollup package for Windows XP, reversing its August decision to rely solely on Windows Update to deliver individual patches.

Since it came to light that Windows XP SP2 was delayed until at least mid-2004, pressure has mounted for Redmond to tend to customers without broadband connections.

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The Recording Industry Association of America stepped up its battle against file swappers this week, filing lawsuits against 261 individuals for "egregious" copyright infringement.

Defendants were selected based on the number of files shared, but many were not aware their computers were distributing music in the background, including 12-year-old Brianna Lahara from New York.

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One week before Apple Expo 2003 begins in Paris, Apple has announced speed boosts to its iMac line and higher capacity iPods. Two new iMacs join two iPods to serve as modest upgrades to Apple's product lines.

The company is expected to make additional announcements this week in preparation for Steve Jobs' Expo keynote address.

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The fifth revision of Windows Update is set to enter beta testing, as Microsoft continues efforts to improve its facility for keeping customers' systems up to date.

Windows Update V5 is slated to be a significant upgrade, eventually extending the service's reach beyond Windows to all Microsoft products. The company will initially support updates to Office 2003, as well as SQL and Exchange.

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As expected, the first beta release of Windows Installer (MSI) 3.0 has been issued to qualified testers. Selected participants were informed of their acceptance into the MSI 3.0 beta program via e-mail early this week.

The program is one of many initiatives launched by Microsoft to improve its capacity to protect Windows users following the recent spate of security vulnerabilities and viruses such as the Blaster worm.

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Roxio is gearing up to test the next version of its flagship software suite for CD and DVD authoring. Easy CD and DVD Creator 7 will enter beta in October, with a final release expected early next year. Roxio is currently taking applications for the beta program via its Web site.

Beta test participants must own a CD/DVD writer, as well as a FireWire or video capture card. Testers will be asked to evaluate the software each week and provide feedback on beta builds.

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Intuit is slated to take aim at small and medium sized businesses with an upcoming release of its Track-It! helpdesk software. Track-It! 6.0 was released last April to allow clients to manage and support IT assets following Intuit's acquisition of Blue Ocean Software.

Intuit Information Technology Solutions is seeking testers throughout the fall for the next incarnation of Track-It!, code-named "Athena."

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Microsoft has officially announced the next iteration of MSN, set enter beta testing next week.

In a departure from expectations, Microsoft will not label the release version 9.0. Instead, MSN will now come in two flavors: Premium and Plus.

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Macromedia has announced the second generation of its MX product family. New releases of Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks and the newly introduced Flash MX Professional 2004 are set to ship in September. Significant enhancements include building blocks, dubbed "MX Elements," and a new user interface for Internet applications called "Halo."

Dreamweaver MX 2004 includes new and updated support for standards and server technologies such as secure FTP, ASP.NET and Cascading Style Sheets. Dreamweaver is a popular program among Web professionals for building sites and applications.

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Microsoft is planning a security upgrade to its .NET Messenger service that could have far reaching consequences for IM clients not sanctioned by Redmond.

Starting October 15, users of older MSN clients must upgrade or they will be unable to connect to the service, says Microsoft. Users must be running at least Windows Messenger 4.7.2009, MSN Messenger 5 or MSN Messenger for Mac OS X 3.5.

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Robert Scoble, technology evangelist for Longhorn at Microsoft, has called into question several purported screenshots of the next-generation Longhorn interface code-named "Aero."

The images originate from a presentation by Steve Ball, program manager for Microsoft's Windows Audio Video Devices Group, given at WinHEC 2003 last May. But Scoble says the three month-old shots appear to be early concepts, not Aero itself, which Microsoft keeps under strict lock and key.

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Apple this week began shipping its long awaited Power Mac G5 hardware, first announced at WWDC 2003 in June. Only single processor configurations are currently available, with dual G5 machines set to reach customers later this month.

"The two single processor Power Mac G5 models are available now, so we wanted to get those into customers hands as soon as possible, and we’re right on track to deliver the dual 2.0 GHz Power Mac G5 later this month," said Philip Schiller, senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing at Apple.

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After ten months in beta testing, including a last-minute Beta 2 refresh, the final Office 2003 code has been released to manufacturing. Microsoft says that more than 600,000 beta testers took part in the development effort - one of the largest in company history.

"The release to manufacturers of the Microsoft Office System is a milestone, not only in terms of the unprecedented development and testing work that went into it, but also because it enables customers to piece together data and operational aspects of their business where the real work happens: at individuals' desktops," said Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president of Microsoft's Information Worker Group.

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Representatives for the Windows client team confirmed a BetaNews report that Windows XP Service Pack 2 will not be delivered until 2004.

Microsoft refused to call the decision a "delay," due to the fact that no timeframe for SP2 was officially disclosed. But the news caught many Windows enthusiasts and analysts off guard, as a release before the end of 2003 was long expected.

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Following the publication of comments from Microsoft product manager Dan Leach that Outlook Express is headed for obsolescence, Redmond has had an apparent change of heart.

Microsoft says it now plans to continue development of its consumer e-mail client, although it is unclear how the company will deliver future enhancements.

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