| After a buildup of Hollywood proportions, Microsoft has released
its final cut of Windows XP. PC makers received final code last week, and you'll
be able to pick up your own copy come October 25, although some vendors will
most likely release systems with XP preinstalled before that date.
So is XP worth all the hype? Grudgingly, we say yes. This major upgrade at
long last ends the distinction between the corporate (and more stable) NT/2000
Windows and the consumer-oriented Windows 95/98/Millennium. XP provides similar
variations of the same OS for both home and business: XP Home and XP
Professional editions. On the outside, XP looks radically different from any
previous Windows version. It's spiffier, with both aesthetic and functional
redesigns, and features login screens for home and corporate systems
alike--something many Windows 95/98 users have never seen.
Like any radical overhaul, XP takes some getting used to--we often lost
patience with it--but, after time, it's hard not to like the new design. While
its new, hand-holding "task-oriented" design may annoy experienced users,
Microsoft nevertheless managed to create an OS that works equally well for
novices, corporate users, and enthusiasts. Despite hefty system requirements (a
Pentium II-300 or faster, 128MB of RAM, and 1.5GB of free disk space), onerous
product activation, and some not-so-obvious touting of Microsoft's business
partners, you'll want to consider an upgrade--if not immediately, certainly the
next time you buy a PC.
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