Microsoft is set to launch Windows XP in the second half of this year. It boasts an improved user interface, greater operating system reliability, and, for the first time, a single code base for corporate workstations and home users.
However, this merging of the two Windows product lines may happen in theory only, as XP may not be fully to the taste of corporate users.
Microsoft has already advised large businesses to consider sticking with Windows 2000, which makes use of the same multitasking kernel as Windows XP. This point was driven home at Microsoft's recent Desktop Experience promotional event in Seattle, where speaker after speaker outlined the range of features that would make Windows XP ideal for consumers. The garish new visual design is meant to help inexperienced users, for example.
"The existing one is too hard to use," said Chris Jones, Microsoft's vice president of the Windows client group. This is not the first time that Microsoft has sought to promote a new product by finally admitting to flaws in a previous version.
Some features could prove very useful for support staff, such as the Remote Assistance application. This allows one user to take control of another's PC over a local area network (LAN) or IP connection. However, Jones chose to demonstrate this as, "How to help granny out with her PC".
The melding of consumer and corporate functionality is likely to be a cause for concern among some business customers. "The Professional Edition [of Windows XP] is a superset of the Home Edition," said Jones. This means that business desktops are going to get all the digital media facilities that Microsoft expects will encourage consumers to upgrade.
Microsoft demonstrated how the built-in Windows Media 8 player can handle high-quality video streamed from the Internet, for example. Fortunately, this feature can be locked down by IT staff to prevent employees downloading and watching movies, but it raises questions about Microsoft's judgement to include it in the Professional Edition at all.
IT managers will clearly have to evaluate Windows XP carefully before considering rolling it out across their firms, especially as the onus seems to be on them to disable unwanted features, rather than opting in if they decide they want them.
Many firms may therefore decide to avoid Windows XP. Companies that are currently using Windows 95 or Windows 98 are likely to decide that Windows 2000 is the safer option under the circumstances, and those already running Windows 2000 are unlikely to find any real reason to upgrade.
However, Windows XP does have a lot of things going for it. The user interface is much cleaner and less cluttered than before. It also includes built-in Terminal Server functionality, allowing a mobile worker with a notebook to connect to a server session on his or her office PC to fetch files.
Although there is still time for changes before the final release, it is starting to look as if Microsoft is going to fail once again to get all users onto a single version of Windows. In its eagerness to make XP appealing to consumers, the company is likely to deter corporate customers.
