When is a preview version not really a preview? When it’s Windows XP Release Candidate (RC) 1. This first public version of Microsoft’s next major operating system includes several new features, such as a cleaned-up Start menu and simplified home network connectivity. However, this early version includes at least one feature that everyone knows won’t appear in the final release: Internet Explorer 6’s Smart Tags. (Thanks to public protests, Microsoft will remove this XML feature, which web developers feared could allow Internet Explorer 6 to intercept content from their sites.)
In some other key areas, such as basic stability (Internet Explorer and XP’s Compatibility Wizard crashed during our testing), Microsoft still has a lot of work to do before this operating system is ready for distribution. In fact, Microsoft is planning a second release candidate rollout in about a month, confirming our suspicion that, although this downloadable public preview is feature-complete, it’s not as close to the final version as the company hoped.
That said, XP has made great progress. Since we last examined Windows XP in Beta 2, it has received valuable interface improvements and increased performance. Microsoft has cleaned up the Desktop, reorganized the Start menu, included additional Internet and entertainment features, brought a series of new wizards to the forefront, and revealed some wizards that were hidden in the background. Even at this early stage, XP promises users the stable core code that the NT family has enjoyed for years and the extended hardware and software compatibility of the Windows 95/98 line.
In exchange for these benefits, Microsoft requires product activation through a cumbersome procedure. Not only do you need to install and activate the product within two weeks of purchase (or within 30 days for XP’s final release), but you can only install the operating system on one PC by default. The activation system checks the IDs of 10 different hardware components to create a profile of your PC, according to a new report. So if your hard drive gets damaged and you need to reconfigure the system from scratch, you may need to reactivate the system online.
However, XP might be worth the hassle, given the features and interface improvements it offers. It seems stable, fairly fast, and once you get used to the new look, easier to use. This will appeal to business users, home users, and gaming enthusiasts when the final version is released on October 25.
