As Windows XP, the latest Microsoft operating system (OS), appears on computer-store shelves, questions are being raised over the security of the software.
Microsoft's OS, the program that creates the computer desktop and manages other applications, hogs around 80% of the operating system market. Previous updates of the OS - Windows 95 and 98, NT and 2000 - made compromises to remain compatible with pre-95 versions.
With Windows XP, "they've at last thrown away that obligation", explains Peter Sommer of the London School of Economics Computer Security Research Centre, UK, as they are now unlikely to exclude many users.
XP claims to be faster and more reliable than its predecessors. It also creates a modernized, blue desktop with fewer icons. Based on the core code of Windows NT and borrowing ideas from the stable UNIX OS, Microsoft have tried to build a system that is less likely to crash, freeze or frustrate users.
Hacking and virus attacks, such as Code Red, have frequently exploited weaknesses in programs that run on older versions of Windows. So Microsoft has also improved their security, including embedding a firewall - software that stops hackers gaining access to a computer. Testers have so far failed to find serious security threats.
Your average consumer will probably see it when they next buy a computer
But security flaws will not become apparent until the OS is released, experts warn. "We don't know what attacks might befall XP," says Sommer. "Prudent people never put a newly released OS on a critical computer."
One concern is that the XP code, unlike that of its predecessors, could let hackers install 'zombies'. These programs enable hackers to control a computer remotely to launch attacks on other machines. And users may not know how to install complex features securely.
Part of MS's poor security record is simply down to their prominence, which is attractive for hackers. "They just happen to be a big target," points out Marty Lindner, who handles computer security incidents at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "The real issue is to strive to produce better software the day they sell it," he says, by extensive testing beforehand.
Getting rid of old OS versions will take years. Until then, IT professionals will continue to deal with glitches in the old systems. "We have a legacy," Lindner advises, so stick to the standard computer health warning: install a firewall and antivirus software, and keep them both up to date.
Despite all the flag-waving events heralding the launch of XP just in time for Christmas, it is unlikely to be found under every tree. Sommer and Lindner doubt that the average user needs the XP extras. "Your average consumer will probably see it when they next buy a computer," says Lindner, who admits to having already bought his.