Microsoft Windows XP (Beta 2) Review
By: Arie SlobCompatibility
Ensuring that third-party applications work on Windows XP is a key goal for the final release. For Windows XP, Microsoft developed a set of technologies and support infrastructure that isolates operating system differences and application bugs. This will help ensure that applications that worked on Windows 9x, Windows Me and Windows 2000 will continue to work on Windows XP. One of these technologies, called AppFixes, solves problems such as applications incorrectly detecting the operating system version. A database of applications, problems and fixes determines which AppFixes are enabled, and this database is updated from the Web via Auto Update.
In addition, the end user can enable an applications compatibility mode for custom-built applications. To do so, simply create a shortcut to the application, open its property sheet (right-click the shortcut and select Properties), check the Run in compatibility mode check box, and select the OS you'd like to emulate (Windows 95, 98, NT4, or Windows 2000).
I know that most of you have burning questions as which software will - or will not - run on Windows XP. From what I've heard almost everything should work, including your old MS-DOS games.
I didn't have time to test the few things I have laying around here, but I did install an old copy of Office 95 (!), and yes, it worked without a hitch!
Conclusions
Well, all I can say is that I'm impressed! Now this is an OS that I would want! This is something completely different than Windows Me, where my conclusion was: "generally, I would suggest you stay with your current OS".
Windows XP is different. It contains so many new features, there's not enough space here to write about them all. It has numerous options to tweak (although sometimes hard to find), and it seems to work very well.
Not that there aren't any problems at all. There are still some inconstancies. For example, Outlook Express didn't want to remember that it should open on my secondary monitor (works in Windows 98/2000), and I was also unable to get a fresh installation to detect my ADSL connection, nor the 3COM (USR) 56K modem. I would expect these things to be fixed when Microsoft moves forward, but overall, I'm impressed, and looking forward to the final release in October!