Software titan Microsoft has started shipping Windows XP Beta 2 to a priority group of beta testers representing its Australian customers and partners. Windows XP beta 2 will be distributed to TechNet and MSDN subscribers next month.
Microsoft says that there is a significant amount of difference between the beta 1 code and the latest release. Product marketing manager for Desktop Windows, Paul Roworth said, "The most notable difference are changes to the user interface. The user interface was only partially complete in Beta 1".
Reputed to combine the best features of Windows 2000 and Windows ME, Microsoft were still unable to announce a release date for XP but intimated to ZDNet Australia that there would be "18 months" between the release of Windows 2000 (released in February last year) and Windows XP. Microsoft expect a Windows XP release candidate to emerge from the beta testing process in the next two to three months.
Amateur enthusiasts keen to sample Microsoft's eagerly anticipated OS may have to stretch a little to meet the hardware bar this time round. Whistler Professional, Windows XP's codename, minimum requirements include a 233Mhz Pentium processor and Microsoft recommends 128M of RAM as a minimum.
4%
1%
