Page #209 (Improved Usability for Everyday Tasks)

As befits a twenty-first-century operating system, Windows XP includes an extensive array of Internet features that go far beyond basic browsing. Three improvements are worthy of special note:

Internet Explorer 6 Windows XP incorporates the most recent version of Microsoft's browser. It gets the same visual overhaul as the rest of Windows, with bright toolbar button images, and it integrates streaming media playback tools into the task pane on the left. But its most worthwhile new capability is "under the hood," where Internet Explorer 6 incorporates controls you can use to protect your privacy. By default, the browser uses privacy policies to determine what personally identifiable information can be stored by a Web site; if you want greater control over your personal data, you can build a custom policy that determines on a site-by-site basis which cookies are allowed and which are blocked.

To learn how privacy policies and cookie controls work, see "Managing Cookies."

Internet Connection Firewall The explosion in popularity of "always on" Internet connections, such as cable modems and DSL hook-ups, has a dark side. Even a technically unsophisticated hacker can break into a poorly secured computer and access private files or plant a Trojan horse program. Unlike any previous Windows version, Windows XP includes a bare-bones firewall that stops the most common attacks.

If you already use a third-party firewall program such as ZoneAlarm, see "Limitations of Internet Connection Firewall."

Internet Connection Sharing Every version of Windows since Windows 98 Second Edition has included software that allows you to share a single Internet connection over a home or small business network. Windows XP streamlines the setup process and adds the capability for remote users to stop and start a dial-up connection on the gateway PC.