Microsoft Windows XP RC1 Review
By: Arie Slob
Company: Microsoft
Version: Windows XP Professional (Build 2502)
Review By: Arie Slob
Windows XP Release Candidate 1 (RC1) was released on the 2nd July, and represents the final stages of development of Windows XP. During this last phase the product won't change much, but XP's developers' focus will be on squashing bugs, and refining the user interface.
Very little has changed from Beta 2, and if you haven't already, I suggest that you read the Beta 2 review. Here I will only point out some of the major changes since that beta.
The most visual change is of course the changed 'branding' from 'Whistler' to Windows XP, together with new icons and color schemes. You will also notice a new logo while you boot Windows XP (Figure).
When you arrive at the desktop, you will notice that there is only one icon left, the Recycle Bin. Another noticable change is that the Quick Launch bar is now turned off by default, and the toolbar is locked (Figure). To make changes you have to un-lock the toolbar first.
The Start menu now displays a number of default application shortcuts: Windows Media Player, MSN Explorer, Windows Movie Maker, Tour Windows XP, and Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. This leaves only one empty spot for the first application you actually run. You can remove the 'default' shortcuts quite easily by right-clicking them, and choosing Remove from the menu. You can also adjust the number of shortcuts displayed on the Start menu (right-click the Start menu, and select Properties.) The All Programs menu (former Programs menu) has also been updated with fancy new icons (Figure).
New additions to the Start menu include My Recent Documents, Connect To and Printers and Fax.
Windows XP now includes two new color schemes, Olive Green and Silver.
Internet Explorer 6 has also seen a number of new changes. Microsoft added Smart Tag functionality to Internet Explorer 6 after Beta 2, and they are still present in RC1. But Microsoft recently gave in to numerous complaints, and this feature will be removed before Windows XP ships, so I'll just skip over this function. The Personal Bar has been removed since Beta 2, and has been replaced with a new Media Bar (Figure) that provides an in-browser media player, allowing you to play audio and video (from Web sites) without the need to open another application.
Microsoft also added some more graduated privacy settings to Internet Explorer 6, with a new Medium High privacy setting (Figure). The Advanced settings now also allow you to control the way various cookies are handled by the browser's Medium High privacy setting (Figure).
Microsoft has also improved on the network capaabilities in Windows XP. Windows XP can detect if an Internet connection exists on the machine it is being installed on, or whether a connection exists "downstream" on the network, and configure itself accordingly.
I found that this worked perfectly on a small office network where a broadband router was connected to the network.
You might also recall that I had some problems in this area with the Beta 2 (couldn't get a clean XP install to find my ADSL connection). My ADSL connection is somewhat specialit - requires a VPN connection - and in Beta 2 the wizard wouldn't let me make any selections. This time I was able to set up my connection with no problems (in the same way as my connection is set up in Windows 2000). Oh... Windows XP set up a "Broadband" connection by default, but in my case that wouldn't work (for the reasons I wrote above).
RC1 also includes Windows Messenger, replacing MSN Messenger and Netmeeting (Figure). A later version of Windows Messenger will support PC-to-phone calls as well. More details on Windows Messenger in this document.
Microsoft will merge its .NET services with Windows through Windows Messenger. To use Windows Messenger you have to sign up for a (free) .NET pass (Figure).
Another change since Beta 2 is the auto-play functionality of digital media devices. In RC1, when you plug a digital media device in, a dialog appears, giving you a list of media-specific options from which to choose (see this example after pluging in my Nikon Coolpix camera). You can choose one of the options each time you plug in a device, or you can choose a default choice.
Performance has improved quite a bit since Beta 2, and should improve even more before XP is ready to ship. Overall I have a very good impression of Windows XP. Some Windows 9x/Me users are questioning the need to upgrade to Windows XP. Well, just talk with someone who has experience with Windows 2000 and the stability this OS provides. Then add all the hardware/software compatibility that Windows 2000 is missing, and you can begin to see the tremendous appeal of Windows XP.
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