Microsoft Consolidates Patches, Fixes For Office XP

Microsoft

Service Pack 2 will incorporate a range of patches and security fixes that Microsoft has dribbled out over the past year.

Anyone upgrading from Office XP must install the service pack, the company said.

As usual, the updates are offered as a download on Microsoft's Web site or are available on a CD.

Office XP launched in May 2001. Service Pack 1 came out the following November. Since that time, Microsoft has released a rash of one-off updates, including one for the Office XP Speller and Word 2002 update last April, and Excel 2002 and Office XP Clip Organizer Updates in June.

Also included are previously issued security fixes including cumulative patches for Excel and Word and a fix for the e-mail editor. Without that patch, the software could allow execution on message replies and forwards, according to Microsoft's Web site.

Service Pack 2 comes out on the heels of Microsoft's Licensing 6.0 changes, which many customers and analysts say amount to de facto price increases. But despite those complaints, at least one analyst said Microsoft has managed to strengthen its hold on the desktop.

"There's been a net increase for Microsoft, even after licensing changes [were disclosed," said IDC analyst Al Gillen. "Despite some vocal customers, we've seen a fairly big increase in annuity licensing. . . . The bottom line is there are certainly some unhappy customers, and there are reasons for that, but ultimately, Microsoft desktop revenue has increased. Whether customers liked it or not, they re-upped."

Office 11, the next major release of the application suite, is slated to debut next year The release will pack in more XML support and features to help users find and access heretofore disconnected islands of data. That product will be the cornerstone of Microsoft's high-priority knowledge worker effort, company executives have said. See related story.