Microsoft recently announced that Windows XP and Internet Explorer 6 will not ship with the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed as a default option.

The implication of this decision for Actinic merchants is that some consumers who purchase machines with a 'clean' installation using Windows XP or IE6* will be prompted to download the Java VM when they place an order through Actinic's Java Applet (used for credit card encryption). The Java VM download is over 5.4 MB in size.

Although the impact of this will initially be minimal, Actinic has developed an alternative security system called Shared SSL. Actinic Catalog v4.1 and Actinic Business will enable use of a Shared SSL service which offers the same level of 128-bit security as the Java Applet. This software upgrade will be free of charge to existing users of Actinic Catalog v4 and Actinic Business; the Shared SSL service will be available from Actinic and from participating partners.

The two alternative payment systems, which are currently available with Actinic Catalog and Actinic Business are unaffected by Microsoft's decision. So, merchants integrating with a Payment Service Provider, or using their own SSL certificate will be unaffected.

* Based on current information, existing Windows 95, 98, Me, NT and 2000 users that upgrade from IE5 to IE 6 will not notice any difference when using Java Applets on Actinic sites.