🚀 go-pugleaf

I suspect that Macro$oft discovered some degree of incompatibility or
instability with NetBeui on XP - plenty of evidence on the net that
such instability exists, and some work-arounds (like using some files
from Win-2K) have been suggested.  M$'s corporate direction of
embracing the internet (after first dismissing it in the mid 1990's)
meant that TCP/IP took on more importance over NetBeui (I'm sure they
gritted their teeth at the realization that they couldn't force their
own protocal on the internet).

With the introduction of XP, M$ knew it would face some raised
eyebrows with the official "non-support" of NetBeui, so they began a
propaganda smear campaign against it, as this blurb of theirs
indicates:

-------------
Support for the NetBEUI network protocol has been discontinued in
Windows XP. This protocol is not available to install in Windows XP.
The NetBEUI protocol was developed in 1985. It is used by network
operating systems such as Microsoft LAN Manager, Microsoft Windows for
Workgroups, Microsoft Windows 95, and Microsoft Windows NT. The
NetBEUI protocol implements the OSI LLC2 protocol, and is a
non-routable protocol.
------------

Interesting that they somehow fail to mention that Windows 98 and
Windows 2000 also included NetBeui as a supported protocal.  Hell -
who want's to associate themselves with the likes of WFWG or Win-95? 
Yech!

The above blurb is quoted on this page:

http://www.marcspages.co.uk/nsd/rpm0124.htm

and is followed by this line:

--------------
But it is this last fact that still makes it one of the fastest
around, and is why Reliable Power Meters still use it.
--------------

Hmmm.  

For more level-headed discourse on NetBeui, have a look here:

http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/42.htm

Tell me that the default shares on XP and the default use (and
settings) of TCP bindings aren't a recipe for disaster on home
networks (most of which don't use NAT routers) and that wireless
networking makes it worse.  But nope - can't blame M$ for how they
configured XP.  Took them 4 years for SP2, but it's too late for the
armies of trojan'd home computers that have turned the internet into
spam-hell (that, ironically, corporations have to deal with).

What was sacrificed to make corporate use of XP smooth and painless
has instead given them grief because of all the infected XP boxes on
residential networks.  But no, that can't be.  We all trust M$ to
always make the best, the wise decisions - right?

For more venting about M$ (and a little bit on NetBeui) look here:

http://www.brain.com.pk/~mnk/Tutorials/HateMS.htm

Bottom line is that if you're forced by your own delusions (or by
misguided corporate policy) to "upgrade" to XP, you're better off not
to mess with NetBeui because M$ got it wrong with XP.  But don't think
they stopped "support" for it because it's antiquated (TCP is about 5
years older).  

It's funny to see people rationalize the decisions M$ makes about this
or that - as if they had the best interests of their current or
previous customers in mind.  History has shown time and time again
that they are always looking to see how they can (1) ease their
support load and (2) better control the obselesence of their own
products.  Logic and engineering rational fall victim to the marketing
dept.