XPT (Extreme Power Tools)

The XPT (Extreme Power Tools) is one of the few commercial Win32 Windows software toolsets specifically not for end-users, its demographic being programmers and to a somewhat lesser extent system administrators. The XPT comprises some 150 applications noted for their "bare metal" approach to programming, a "software tools" philosophy, and for being virtually bug-free in their ten year history. The average size of an XPT executable is 7.19 KB. The XPT is also a prime example of portable software, built as it is on a principle of "no intrusion".

The name comes from an interview where the authors were asked if the XPT was for "power users only". The answer was "if they're power users they need to be extreme power users".

Programming Approach

The "software tools" approach deliberately goes against the current in commercial personal computer software, concentrating instead on doing one thing only and doing it well. This approach has also led to the product's reputation for being bug-free.

Bare Metal

The XPT applications are Win32 GUI applications and yet average a footprint of only 7.19KB. The toolset includes several fully featured text editors under or around 10KB and a fully functional Windows Explorer replacement at only 14.5KB. The largest application executables are the screen savers.

The entire XPT toolset (sans documentation) fits comfortably on a 1.44MB diskette.

No Intrusion

The XPT is not shareware. The authors openly eschew inserting anything in program code not part of the software's express purpose and functionality. Certain titles in the XPT however have been available as freeware from time to time.

The XPT does not need to be "installed": all applications run completely "as is" (usually by double-clicking).

The XPT is completely self-contained and leaves essentially no remnants on user hard drives. All XPT tools share a single common Registry key and no application saves anything to the Registry without the user's express consent. Removing the XPT from a hard drive means removing the original setup directory and at most a single Registry key.

Bloatware Debate

Radsoft's XPT was in the news in 1999 when the bloatware debate exploded at RISKS Digest and other places. Slate and the London Daily Telegraph had a heated exchange and Radsoft, who were consulted during this period, wrote a number of well-received articles on the subject, in particular attacking Microsoft for a cavalier attitude towards quality control. In 1999 Radsoft announced a feature-rich replacement for Microsoft's Windows Explorer under 28 KB. The application, known as X-file, was released to readers of the RISKS Digest forum as freeware and later was integrated into the XPT as a whole.

Ethics in Programming

The authors of the XPT have often come out on the side of the consumer against cynical corporate interests. For example, the XPT also contains an "antidote" for Evidence Eliminator, also available in a limited freeware edition.

Fans of the XPT began the Bloatbusters in 2000 as a way to react to what was perceived as the deteriorating quality of Windows software. The Bloatbusters have been hosted by Radsoft but are otherwise not connected to the parent site.

The XPT also garnered attention when it was discovered Microsoft's Windows XP search tools refused to show files under certain circumstances; as the XPT file management utilities do not use the same APIs they are able to see "everything".

External links

* [http://radsoft.net Radsoft.net website]
* [http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/20.37.html#subj4.1 RISKS Digest 2 May 1999 Re: Bloatware Debate]
* [http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/digicult/dc2000-03-15.htm Atlantic Monthly Digital Culture 15 March 2000] , a discussion of bloatware
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/828584.stm BBC News Small is Beautiful 11 July 2000]