WebTV has released what it is calling the "Retrograde" for Old Classic users. This option will allow users who are experiencing trouble with this summer's 2.5 update to revert to the previous version. Users that do so will lose the ability to use instant messenger and RealAudio G2, but may gain back some performance. The Retrograde is a temporary solution while WebTV reworks and re-tests the 2.5 update for the Old Classic.

WebTV says it is providing this upgrade because they are aware that "a limited number of users are experiencing challenges with the WebTV service after accepting the summer update. Our engineers are working on these challenges and we hope to offer a solution as soon as possible."

The long-awaited 2.5 upgrade for the WebTV browser includes the MSN Instant Messenger, G2 audio, and on the Plus and new Classic units, Windows Media Player. The WebTV JavaScript implementation also was extended, and a number of DHMTL capabilities also were included. But as the upgrade began to roll out across the user base, many users began to complain that they were unable to access sites that they had previously visited, that their boxes were running very slowly, and that images would disappear from web pages and the "recent" panel. Users also reported receiving the "this page is too big" message when they were accessing web pages, or even their email or address list. Although these problems have been most pronounced on the original Classic which has only 2MB of RAM, they have been seen in all of the units, including the new Plus units with 16MB of RAM.

In a telephone interview with Net4TV Voice on Friday, June 16, WebTV Product Manager Sharon Frinks acknowledged that some of the problems seemed to be that the memory cache is not clearing correctly. She also said that the Instant Messenger shares a portion of the cache memory and that a short-term fix for users to get better performance is to turn the Instant Messenger off. "Especially on the old Classic, we're very tight on memory," she said. A full memory cache also can cause the "publisher too busy" message on RealAudio links, and can cause users who are trying to use cut and paste while working on their email or webpages to lose their work.

WebTV suggest turning off the Instant messenger may take care of the "challenges" for some users. On the Old Classic, the use of the Instant Messenger creates a noticeable lag between when a button is clicked and when an action takes place. This is especially problematic with games. For those that aren't helped by turning off the Instant Messenger, WebTV suggests a retrograde to the previous client release. This is the software inside the box.

The Retrograde option is only available to Old Classic users at this time. To tell if you have an Old Classic, look at the box. Only Sony and Philips Magnavox made Old Classics. Then look at the model number. On the Sony, the model number is on the front of the unit. If it says "INT-W100," then it is an Old Classic. If your box is a Philips Magnavox, the number is located on the bottom of the unit on a label. If it reads "MAT960," then it is an Old Classic. If none of these are true, you've got something else and no upgrade is available to you. Users of other boxes who try to use the Retrograde code will not be retrograded, according to WebTV. This is to prevent units from downloading an upgrade that is not meant for their box.

WebTV has announced that the Retrograde is now available, but for Old Classic users only. Old Classic users wishing to retrograde should not call WebTV, but should go to the WebTV's Help Center, or you can click here. To view the Help Center, from the WebTV Home page, click "Help" and then "Latest News." Old Classic users will receive a page that will lead to another page containing a link that when clicked will tell the user that a retrograde is available. If the user says, "Accept," the box powers down and starts the retrograde process. The box dials WebTV and downloads the older client into memory. Then, it flashes the flash memory, erasing it. Then it writes the newly downloaded program into the flash memory and restarts the box again. The terminal will then be using the older client.

WebTV says that it can't offer the Retrograde to everyone at the same time, so it is focussing first on those most affected--the Old Classic users. WebTV is investigating the possibility of allowing owners of other devices to retrograde, but they had no time estimate. Users who retrograde can return to the 2.5 upgrade by following the same steps.

Due to the limited memory in the Old Classic, WebTV's engineers made modifications to make the best use of the limited amount of memory in order to provide additional features such as Instant Messenger and RealAudio G2. WebTV also made some modifications to JavaScript to make it more compatible with other browsers, but some of the changes resulted in incompatibility with some pages.

"Should I Retrograde?"

In an interview, Frinks said that the decision had been made to put the choice in the user's hands of whether to go back to the previous version or stay with the new upgrade while waiting on the fix. "We're still working to identify and fix the problems," she said, "and our manufacturers have to certify it before we can release a new update, so we don't have a specific release date yet for the fix." Frinks said that users are different in how they use WebTV, and that some were enjoying the upgrade while others were very frustrated.

"People who are really enjoying being able to Instant Message with their friends, for example, will likely want to keep the upgrade," she said. "But for other users who are finding that the problems are interfering with their enjoyment may want to go back." She said that, whether or not a user kept the current upgrade or decided to retrograde, they will all be able to get the new fixed upgrade when it becomes available. She also said that users who retrograde will be able to change their minds and re-upgrade, if they wish.

As a user, you may want to retrograde if you can't access a site after you upgraded that was accessible before the upgrade, or if you surf sites that are unusable because of JavaScript errors or missing images (such as some games), or if you don't care about RealAudio G2 and MSN Messenger with buddy list, or if you want MPEG Videos.

You may want to keep the upgrade if you want to keep Instant messenger, or if you want to keep RealAudio G2, or if you don't care about playing MPEG Videos. It should be noted that any time a user upgrades a box, there is a small amount of risk involved. Since WebTV (and many other devices) use flash memory, there is some "wear and tear" on the flash memory. Repeated flashing and reflashing of the memory could cause it to fail. This should not pose a problem under normal use.