Windows XP is a line of proprietary
operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on
general-purpose computer systems, including home and
business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers.
The letters "XP" stand for experience. Codenamed "Whistler"
after Whistler, British Columbia (as many Microsoft
employees skied at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort during
its development), Windows XP is the successor to Windows
2000 and is the first consumer-oriented operating system
produced by Microsoft to be built on the Windows NT kernel
and architecture. It also put an end to Windows 9x/Me by
integrating some of 9x's features into the Windows NT
codebase. Windows XP was first released on October 25, 2001,
and, until January 30, 2007, is the most recent consumer
version of Microsoft Windows available to the general
public, with over 400 million copies in use, according to an
estimate by an IDC analyst.
The most common editions of the operating system are Windows
XP Home Edition, which is targeted at home users, and
Windows XP Professional, which has additional features such
as support for Windows Server domains and dual processors,
and is targeted at power users and business clients. Windows
XP Media Center Edition has additional multimedia features
enhancing the ability to record and watch TV shows, watch
DVDs, and listen to music. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is
designed to run the ink-aware Tablet PC platform. Two
separate 64-bit versions of Windows XP were also released,
Windows XP 64-bit Edition for IA-64 (Itanium) processors and
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition for x86-64 processors.
Windows XP is known for its improved stability and
efficiency over previous versions of Windows. It presents a
significantly redesigned graphical user interface, a change
Microsoft promoted as more user-friendly than previous
versions of Windows. New software management capabilities
were introduced to avoid the "DLL hell" that plagued older
consumer versions of Windows. It is also the first version
of Windows to use product activation to combat software
piracy, a restriction that did not sit well with some users
and privacy advocates. Windows XP has also been criticized
by some users for security vulnerabilities, tight
integration of applications such as Internet Explorer and
Windows Media Player, and for aspects of its user interface.
Windows XP was followed by Windows Vista, released to volume
license customers on November 30, 2006. Worldwide general
release for Windows Vista is scheduled for January 30, 2007. |
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