WASHINGTON (AP) -- Stung by criticism over lax software security, Microsoft Corp. disclosed plans Thursday to update its flagship Windows operating systems early in 2004 to make consumers less vulnerable to hackers.

Microsoft said the changes, announced by chief executive Steve Ballmer during a trade conference in New Orleans, will be offered free in the next "service pack" update to users of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 software, the company's latest versions for consumers and businesses.

The announcement was aimed at calming Microsoft customers increasingly irritated by the ease with which hackers and others have broken into Windows computers. Adequately protecting an average personal computer can take far more time than many customers are willing to spend.

source: CNN

No backwards compatibility, as per usual...

Yeah, they are responding to "surprising" reports that "not everyone gets essential patches when they need them" or something. Now we will get the stealth patch like the overwrite of the XBox exploit.

lol yeah cheeky microsoft but you can get free xbox live just plug it into ur hub and use the internet and the xbox convertor to have xbox fun

Sounds like BS to me.