WindizUpdate is a web-based automatic product update service designed as an alternative to Windows Update. Its primary difference over Microsoft's update service is that it is compatible with Mozilla Firefox and Opera and their clones, removing the need for Internet Explorer and thus Vendor lock-in. Windows Update version 5 through Netscape Browser 8. ... Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT, SEHK: 4338) is an international computer technology corporation with 2005 global annual sales of close to $40 billion USD and about 64,000 employees in 85 countries and regions which develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices. ... Mozilla Firefox is a free, open source, cross-platform, graphical web browser developed by the Mozilla Corporation and hundreds of volunteers. ... Opera is an Internet suite which handles common internet-related tasks, including visiting web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, and online chat. ... Internet Explorer, abbreviated IE or MSIE, is a proprietary graphical web browser made by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. ... In economics, vendor lock-in, also known as proprietary lock-in, lock-in, or the Pottersville pattern, is a situation in which a customer is dependent on a vendor for products and services and cannot move to another vendor without substantial switching costs, real and/or perceived. ...

Another advantage of this service is that it does not require a Windows Genuine Advantage check on a system, which some find obtrusive and in breach of their privacy. Furthermore, it supports Windows 95 and 98, neither of which is supported by Microsoft. Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is a program initiated by Microsoft which requires users of Microsoft Windows to validate their copy of several Microsoft operating systems when accessing several Microsoft Windows services such as Windows Update and downloading from Microsoft Download Center. ... Windows 95 (codename Chicago) is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit graphical user interface-based operating system released on August 24, 1995 by the Microsoft Corporation. ... Windows 98 (codename Memphis) is a graphical operating system released on June 25, 1998 by Microsoft. ...

However, as WindizUpdate is a third-party service, there are a number of disadvantages. Specifically, the integrity of the browser plug-in and delivered product updates has no guarantee. This poses a potential security risk, as obtaining updates outside of Microsoft is generally discouraged. The Microsoft licenses are hard to interpret- they may disallow that site linking to or redistributing updates, or disallow the end user from using a tool that behaves the way the WindizUpdate plugin does. Furthermore, the service suffers a delay against Windows Update, meaning security updates will appear later on the site, which could be undesirable.

See also

• Windows Update

Windows Update version 5 through Netscape Browser 8. ...

External links

• WindizUpdate