Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 07:47:15 -0400Subject: Microsoft drops Smart Tags from Windows XP
From: Richard Forno <[log in to unmask]>
To: The Cyber-Society-Live mailing list is a moderated discussion list for
those interested [log in to unmask]>

With all the controversy surrounding this "feature" they made a very good
decision, particularly from the PR, not to mention legal perspective!  -rf


Microsoft drops Smart Tags from Windows XP
By Scott Ard and Steven Musil Staff Writers, CNET News.com June 27, 2001,
10:45 p.m. PT http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-6399150.html?tag=prntfr

Microsoft has decided to exclude Smart Tags--a technology that could alter
the Web surfing habits of millions of consumers--from the version of Windows
XP that will ship later this year.

As first reported by CNET News.com, the Redmond, Wash.-based company has
included Smart Tags in the most recent test versions of Windows XP, an
upgrade to the Windows operating system. But a company spokesman said
Wednesday that the technology will not be included in the final version that
will be released Oct. 25.

With Smart Tags, Microsoft can link any word on a Web page to another site
chosen by the company. For example, if a person was reading a story about
traveling, the word "airline" could include a link that would divert the
reader to an airline or travel service chosen by Microsoft.

Although the Smart Tags feature was included in Internet Explorer 6, the Web
browser that is bundled with current beta versions Windows XP, it will be
dropped from the final product.

"At this time we just don't believe it's going to be ready when (Windows XP)
ships in October," Microsoft spokesman Jim Cullinan said late Wednesday.
"External feedback" was one of the factors that led the company to remove
the feature, although he indicated it could be resurrected in later
versions.

Cullinan also emphasized that Smart Tags remains a feature of Office XP, the
upgrade to Microsoft's suite of applications that launched on May 31.

Smart Tags, which are created using Extensible Markup Language (XML), could
have strengthened Microsoft's ability to tie its newest applications and
operating systems to its own Web sites or others that it favors, including
those that charge fees.

The feature makes disparate bits of data available within Office programs or
from Web pages. A Smart Tag pull-down menu attached to a stock ticker, say,
in Excel 2002 or Internet Explorer 6, might lead to the MSN MoneyCentral Web
site for the latest share price.

Critics accused the company of reverting to old tactics by loading Windows
XP with features such as Smart Tags, which gives Microsoft some greater
control over consumers' Internet use. Windows is the operating system on
roughly 92 percent of all personal computers around the world.

What was most worrisome for analysts and others is that Smart Tags tie Web
content exclusively to Microsoft software, in this case Office XP and
Windows XP, according to Chris LeTocq, an analyst with Guernsey Research.

The feature gave Microsoft "some powerful leverage," LeTocq said,
particularly since the company can use its products to redirect users to MSN
Web properties and eventually sites "with premium paid services." The test
version included Smart Tags for sports, stock and university information.

News.com's Joe Wilcox contributed to this report.

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