Windows XP promises a new kind of experience

Windows XP promises a new kind of experience

By Zatni Arbi

Jakarta (JP): Over the past few years I have learned something
about people's general attitude toward Microsoft. Every time the
company is about to launch a major new product, people
automatically regard it as another one of its measures to
strengthen its monopoly over the computing world.

Computer users and analysts bash the company and computer
pundits harshly criticize its technological as well as business
strategies, which are inseparable from each other. However, every
time the product becomes available on the market, users quietly
install it on their computer and enjoy many of the new features
it has. It is unfair, but it happens time and time again.

Therefore, when Microsoft Indonesia offered me an opportunity
to try out a release candidate 1 (RC 1) of the upcoming version
of the Windows operating system, the Windows XP, I gladly
accepted it. Microsoft Indonesia selected a small group of IT
journalists as their official beta testers in Indonesia, and I
was lucky to be included in the group.

During its earlier development stage, Windows XP used to be
called by its code name Whistler. Bill Gates claimed that the
development of this product had cost Microsoft an investment to
the tune of US$1 billion.

Some time ago we took a look at Microsoft Office XP, the
latest upgrade of the company's very popular suite of
productivity tools. Both in Office XP and Windows XP, with the
last two letters standing for experience.

However, to really get the new kind of experience that
Microsoft is promising us, the computer we use has to be
connected to the Web.

Two worlds converge

Since the introduction of Windows NT in 1993, Microsoft has
always offered the market two different versions of its Windows
operating system. The NT, which was followed by Windows 2000, was
meant for use in a workplace environment.

The other, which began with Windows 95 and was followed by
Windows 98 and Windows Me, was meant more for use on a home PC.
While the earlier emphasized robustness and manageability, the
other has a richer multimedia feature set.

With the introduction of Windows XP, however, Microsoft
combined all the strengths of the two programs and merged them
into one product line. Still, when launched officially to end
users in October, Windows XP will come in various versions.

The version I received is the desktop professional. There will
be a desktop home version, and several others for the server side
later on. If things go according to schedule, Microsoft should be
sending the final revision of Windows XP to PC vendors starting
this week. So if you buy a new PC a month from now, you can
expect to get Windows XP a month before it becomes available on
the shelves of retail stores.

For the testing, I also got a loaner. Courtesy of Dell
Computer, I could use a Dell Optiplex GX150. This fast machine is
powered by an Intel Pentium III processor running at 866 MHz, and
it comes with a 20 MB HD plus 128 MB of SDRAM running at 133 MHz.

Windows 2000 was already on the Optiplex when I installed the
new Windows, but I chose not to upgrade it and installed Windows
XP in full instead. I also installed it in the advanced mode and
chose a different partition.

Now each time I boot the Dell PC, I am offered the choice to
run Windows XP or Windows 2000. Both have run flawlessly so far.

According to the installation notes included on the setup CD,
the minimum requirements for this operating system is a Pentium
processor with a clock speed of 233 MHz and 64 MB of RAM.

The note did say that 128 MB of RAM was recommended, but the
general opinion is that you need a Pentium III to run Windows XP.
The 128 MB should be the minimum instead of the recommendation.

That should not be a problem as SDRAM chips are currently very
cheap and it would not cost you a fortune to have 256 MB on your
machine these days.

First impression

Windows XP seems to require a shorter time to boot compared to
Windows 2000 on the same machine. It definitely starts faster
compared to Windows 98 or Windows Me on my own PCs. My Windows Me
even runs on a Pentium 4 1.3 MHz.

However, the only application I installed on the Windows XP
machine was Office XP and the screen capture SnagIt, while the
two other PCs have all sorts of programs launching at start up.

Once or twice the Windows XP refused to shut down properly and
I had to press the power button for a couple of seconds to turn
the machine off altogether. This is to be expected, though, as it
is not the final version of the new operating system, and
therefore the bugs still need to be worked out.

In general, I have not found any serious problems with this
version of Windows XP.

More impressive is the new look, as you can see in the
accompanying picture. The default Windows XP's theme features
blue title bars with larger icon shadows in boxes and other fancy
gizmos.

The X icon, which we click to close a window or an
application, is now in red. It makes it easier to click. The
start menu also looks very different.

Since I registered as a tester, an icon and my name appears on
top of the menu box, which now has two columns of lists. Browsing
the Internet and accessing e-mail are on top of the left column,
so we can access it quickly from the menu.

Help is also much easier to use and it is also more pleasing
to the eyes. The control panel is organized based on a few sets
of adjustments that we want to make. Setting the right
parameters, such as the IP address, are now much easier.

As you may have also read in this column and elsewhere,
Microsoft has introduced a new method of combating piracy. Every
copy of Windows XP has to be activated, and we can do this
through the Internet or by phone.

I had 14 days to use the operating system without activating
it. When I tried to activate the copy that I had just installed,
my request was rejected because my copy, which had its own
product key, had been reinstalled too many times.

Obviously, the same copy had been used by other people before.
This is not a problem, as Microsoft Indonesia has promised me an
RC 2 copy of Windows XP.

Activation is different from registration. When activating a
product, we are not required to fill in any form. Microsoft will
just check the validity of the copy based on the product key and
how many times the same copy has been installed on one or more
machines. We can choose to register at the time we activate the
new operating system or later. Activation is a procedure that we
still need to get accustomed to.

All in all, I like the new look and the higher speed of
Windows XP. There is still a lot to learn about it. We will
continue our exploration of the new operating system, and I will
report to you all my findings. Stay tuned. (zatni@cbn.net.id)