Microsoft imposes new XP icon requirements

Kelly McNeill writes “In its latest bid to prevent competitors from gaining exclusive placement on the upcoming Windows XP desktop, Microsoft is tripling the number of icons some computer makers must include. Some see the move as a clear test of the Bush administration’s regulatory will. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that decide to add icons for rival America Online must also prominently place Microsoft’s Windows Media Player, the MSN online service and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer on the new desktop, the Redmond, Washington software giant decreed on Wednesday.”