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)