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Sebastian Anthony writes that Microsoft is setting an awful precedent by caving and issuing a fix for Windows XP. "Yes, tardy governments and IT administrators can breathe a little easier for a little bit longer," writes Anthony, "and yes, your mom and dad are yet again safe to use their old Windows XP beige box. But to what end? It's just delaying the inevitable." This won't be the only vulnerability found in XP adds Dwight Silverman. "If Microsoft makes an exception now, what about the flaw found after this one? And the next? And the one after that, ad infinitum?" Even though Microsoft has released a patch for the IE flaw, and Windows XP is included, it's time to move on really. "I don't want to hear that tired "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" line. Hey, XP IS broke, and it will just get more so over time. Upgrade to a newer version of Windows, or switch to another modern operating system, such as OS X or Linux."
(Score: 3, Informative) by CastIronStove on Sunday May 04 2014, @02:37PM
Having to reboot Windows after an IE update is an unfortunate byproduct of new(er) development practices clashing with historical compatibility. Microsoft implemented Trident, the layout engine backing Internet Explorer, as a COM interface exposing software component. This facilitates opaque reuse, allowing third party developers to embed a web browser in their applications and allowing Microsoft to use the browser component in non-IE contexts. Consequently, the files backing the Trident component are often in use, even if IE itself is not open.
Windows' approach to file-locking, which ultimately descends from the MS-DOS approach, prevents applications from overwriting open files. If a patch determines that a file it is updating is in use, it registers that file with a process that performs file replacement during boot.