Microsoft is soon to release its latest version of Windows, Windows XP. Based on the Windows 2000 operating system, XP (which stands for Experience) is expected to offer home-users a stable base for their applications, and a better front-end for professional users.
Having installed and used both Personal and Professional Beta 1, Beta 2 Professional is a great improvement. The design boys and girls in Redmond have done a great job on the front-end. While Beta 1 had a Windows ME look-and-feel, Beta 2 resembles something you would expect to see on a Mac.
An entirely new start menu offers users the programs they use most from the first click. Internet and e-mail is also offered in this view. From there, you can get to the normal menu view, as well as going directly to the usual shortcut folders (My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, My Computer and My Network Places).
The taskbar and the Start button have undergone a metamorphosis, with quite a few little tricks to maximise useable space. Multiple copies of the same program are consolidated into one button, while non-essential items in the shortcuts and notifications area are hidden. The application consolidation gets frustrating after a while, as moving quickly between applications requires two clicks instead of one.
Funky 3D
The desktop is cleaner than in previous versions of Windows after the first install, and non-used shortcuts on the desktop are regularly cleared out into a sub-folder stored on the desktop to avoid cluttering. The default icons on the desktop - and throughout the rest of Windows - have been totally revamped. They can best be described as "funky 3D", and, as mentioned, have a definite Mac appeal.
Similar to Windows ME, the Control Panel has been simplified, with many of the advanced settings difficult to get to. This obviously limits the damage that non-techie users can do to their machines, but for power users it is exceptionally frustrating. Fortunately, the traditional Control Panel can be activated as default. This includes a few new items in addition to the Windows 2000 Control Panel tasks, including Speech - a talking robot called Sam with a very annoying American accent.
Stability-wise, Professional Beta 2 has a great deal to improve on, although it is still more stable than Windows 98 and NT. Compared to Windows 2000 - XP`s base - it lacks the solid dependability.
The biggest problem encountered is the Hibernate function, which is horribly unreliable. I set the laptop I tested it on (an IBM A21m 700MHz Pentium III) to hibernate when I closed the lid. On Windows 2000, this method worked 100% of the time. XP, however, achieves less than 50% success rate on hibernation - a problem when you`ve got 2% battery left.
Reminiscent of the Windows 95/98 shutdown bug, Hibernate, when it fails, causes the machine to freeze on the closing screen. A hard shutdown is the only solution, which will cause users to lose unsaved work.
I should mention that despite this problem, it is still more reliable than XP Professional Beta 1, which never booted up at all. Personal Beta 1 had enough bugs to fill the entomology department of the Natural History museum, including an annoying CD-R-killing fault with the native CD-R and CD-RW support. Many good CDs died trying to get this feature to work.
Send the bug to Microsoft
Other errors in Beta 2 come up randomly, but are generally not repeatable and appear to be instability problems rather than application bugs. A new feature allows you to send the bug to Microsoft, which should help the company iron out more glitches than usual before coming to market.
Users will make some new friends among the default installed applications, while some of the old friends are gone. A set of Internet games, including Backgammon, Checkers and Hearts, complement the usual Freecell and Minesweeper. There is also a new Solitaire, called Spider Solitaire, which is dangerously addictive. Why all these games are required on the Professional version - designed for the office user - is beyond me.
Internet Explorer 6, which ships with the product, has some great image manipulation features, including resizing of images, and a popup that allows you to save or print Internet pics quickly.
Noticeably lacking is the great CD player that came with Windows 2000, replaced by Windows Media Player.
The new version of IIS, IIS 5.1, comes with the disk, although with the recent spate of exploits I advise against installing it unless you know what you`re doing.
The network protocol NetBEUI has mysteriously disappeared from the protocol stack, which effectively cut my machine off from most of ITWeb`s network, including all of the printers. I also cannot see any of my servers. According to the Microsoft Windows XP site: "Peer-to-peer networking enables Windows XP Professional to interoperate with earlier versions of Windows on a peer-to-peer level, allowing the sharing of all resources, such as folders, printers and peripherals."
The real Wizard
The Help feature has also undergone a facelift, although most of the help documentation is stored on the Internet, including help for "Internet Connections". Not too bright.
The product installation has been greatly improved over 2000, although the Windows 2000 roots can be clearly seen here, with many of the text screens identical to Win2K. The operation does require a lot less human intervention, which means you don`t have to hover over your machine for hours simply to press "Next". It also includes a good help feature, as well as a Wizard (this Wizard actually looks like a wizard - purple cape and all) who occasionally makes noises to attract your attention to the fact that you`re holding up the process.
The Product Activation Key - a sticky point for Microsoft, as it requires sending a great deal of information about your hardware to the company - requires very little human intervention, and is not as hard as it is made to sound.
Windows XP is not a revolutionary operating system like Windows 2000. Microsoft hasn`t done many new things with it, especially at its core. The user interface has seen a revamp, and it will be good for home users to finally upgrade to a more stable platform, but the industry excitement that we saw around Windows 2000 will not be repeated with this product. It`s a bit like the Windows 95 to 98 upgrade - it`s an evolution, not a revolution.
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