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Dear Windows-Help.NET Subscriber,
Microsoft this week announced the first beta release of the next version of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system, code-named "Whistler". The beta 1 (build 2296) release will be distributed to key partners and customers, as well as to more than 200,000 software developers via MSDN®, with the objective of gathering feedback and enabling compatibility testing.
"The release of 'Whistler' beta 1 represents the next step in delivering on our vision for Windows and will provide software and hardware vendors with a single code base on which to develop applications and devices for both home and business PC users," said Brian Valentine, senior vice president of the Windows Division at Microsoft. "This release will help us continue to receive the feedback we need, which will help ensure broad compatibility of software applications and hardware devices and ultimately provide the best customer experience."
"Whistler" will continue to deliver on Microsoft's long-term vision for home computing by enhancing home networking and digital media experiences, adding new capabilities and building on the solid foundation of Windows 2000. To ensure that home PC users will benefit from the latest technology advancements, Microsoft will continue to invest in understanding the needs of customers and taking advantage of the emerging technology trends to deliver the most-advanced home-computing experience.
Building on the strengths of both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, "Whistler" will represent an evolution in performance, reliability and management. "Whistler" beta 1 is also the first 64-bit version of Windows that will be available to customers for early evaluation purposes on Intel Itanium-based systems.
To bring the reliability of Windows 2000 to consumers as soon as possible and address the feedback from enterprise customers, Microsoft plans a phased release of "Whistler", beginning with the desktop products and followed by the server versions. Both desktop and server versions are expected to be generally available in the second half of 2001.
I hope to give you a preview of Whistler in the near future.
Windows Me System File Protection (SFP)
System File Protection (SFP) is a feature of Windows Me which was first introduced in Windows 2000 as Windows File Protection (WFP). SFP prevents the replacement of certain monitored or protected system files. By preventing the replacement of essential system files, file version mismatches can be avoided. SFP runs in the background.
SFP should take away one of the biggest headaches for users of Windows 9x systems: Poorly written application (installers) overwriting key system files with incompatible versions.
Read the full article on the Windows-Help.NET Web site.
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04 Nov. 2000, Vol 3 No. 44
