On February 5, 2001, I flew to Seattle to preview Windows XP Beta 2
and the user interfaces changes Microsoft had planned
for that release. The Whistler Desktop Beta 2
Technical Workshop consisted of two days of
intensive hands-on overview featuring face time with the
Microsoft executives, program managers, developers and
product managers actually working on the product. It was
an invaluable experience, given the number of changes
Microsoft had made in this version.
The group of 20 technical journalists who showed up for
the event were the first outside of Microsoft to see the
new Windows XP user interface, which replaces the old
gray Windows 95 interface with one that is much more
colorful and exciting. Microsoft wasn't yet ready with
XP code for us, unfortunately, so we walked away with
the promise of pre-Beta 2 code and
various other updates. Since we didn't have actual code
with the new UI yet--and Microsoft wouldn't yet allow
screenshots--I scanned the following image from a pad of
notepaper we got and forwarded it to colleagues. Here it
is, folks, the very first "screenshot" of the Windows XP
user interface, sort of, published here for the first time.
Not coincidentally, I was able to publish
the new Windows XP flag logo as well, thanks to that
same pad of paper. You can only work with what you've
got!
The day before the workshop began, Microsoft publicly
announced the final names for Whistler and Office 10. "These
breakthrough versions of Windows and Office will give
people the most powerful end-to-end computing
experiences ever available," Microsoft chairman Bill
Gates said. "The coming generation of Windows XP and
Office XP will let customers communicate and collaborate
more effectively, be more creative and productive, and
have more fun with technology." Gates notes that Windows
XP and Office XP will lead the way to .NET. "Now,
instead of having individual applications on each
device, users will get a rich experience that spans all
their devices. This evolution from applications to
experiences starts with Windows XP and Office XP."
Most alarming to me, however, was the corroboration by
my sources, just hours before I arrive on campus for the
technical preview, that Windows XP would sport a new
user interface. So before I had to sign an NDA, I posted
a story on WinInfo about the change. "To prevent leaks,
testers are completely in the dark," a source told me
yesterday. "Luna will come with Beta 2, but I can't say
more than that," another source said cryptically. When I
arrived at the campus that day and was shown the new UI,
program manager Iain McDonald pulled me aside to find
out whether I had ever seen the new UI before that day.
When I said no, he proceeded to high-five members of the
Windows User Experience team. Job well done, apparently.
Anyway, the wealth of information we received at the
technical workshop resulted in numerous articles on the
SuperSite for Windows, though we were required to wait
for the release of Beta 2 to publish any of it. But I
wrote at least three Technology Showcases on the flights
home from Seattle three days later, excited by the
changes I had seen, with many more added in the coming
weeks. Little did I know at the time that Beta would
eventually ship a full month later than expected.
About a week after we left Redmond, on February 13,
Microsoft released Windows XP build 2428 to testers and
reviewers. This was one of the builds that had been
shown off at the technical workshop, and it was the
first external build to feature to new UI. It was also
the build that arrived on loaner laptops provided by
Compaq. At the
time, I was under an NDA, so I didn't post any images of
the build. However, here for the first time are some of
my many shots of build 2428, showing off some of the new
stuff we had seen earlier in that technical preview. If
you've been using Windows XP, however, most of them
probably look familiar now.
Windows XP interim build 2428: A first look at the
new UI
February 13 was also the day that Microsoft revealed the
Windows XP user interface publicly, at an event
Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle. My
exclusive look at
the event--courtesy of Joe Jones, who went in my
place--was published on the SuperSite.
Two days later, Microsoft provided me with a number of
exclusive screenshots of Windows Media Player 8--later
renamed to Media Player for Windows XP (MPXP), which
were published
immediately on the SuperSite. The company later sent
two code updates for MPXP to the press, so that we could
evaluate the new release, on February 15, and again on
March 28. MPXP would not ship in Windows XP Beta 2
(which instead featured an older version of Media Player
8 that was visually identical to WMP7), but testers
finally did get it, eventually, in the first post-Beta 2
interim build.
On February 19, I reported that Microsoft had slipped
the release of Windows XP Beta 2 from late February to
mid-March. "We are not hitting our goals for Whistler
Beta 2," wrote Microsoft program manager Iain McDonald
in an email to the Windows XP team. "This being the
case, we're moving the release of Beta 2 to March 14. No
one ever remembers a 2-week slip. Now is the time for us
to be aggressive and drive the intensity. March is
gut-check month because if we don't do this now, we'll
miss the runway." On February 20, the Compaq loaner
laptop arrived with build 2428, but I had already
installed the build on several systems and had enough
laptops, so I eventually forwarded the machine to
someone else at the magazine.
As the press was seeded with XP beta code containing the
new UI, a number of complaints began turning up. Some
said the new UI widgets were too big, or too garish. On
February 23, I reported that Microsoft had already
corrected the number-one complaint about its new XP UI.
The company considerably shrunk down the default size of
the toolbar and its icons from the versions shown at the
Experience Music Project (EMP) event. Build 2428, the
build that Microsoft belatedly gave to technical beta
testers the week before, contained the older, larger
toolbar. But Beta 2 would feature the new toolbar,
already available in Microsoft's internal builds of
Windows XP.
On February 24, I reported that Microsoft had slipped
the release of Whistler Server past October to the end
of 2001. The company later corroborated this change when
it publicly disconnected the schedule for Whistler
Server from Windows XP.
Interim build 2446 arrived
in testers eager hands on March 5, 2001. This build
featured numerous UI tweaks, updated Help and Support
content for digital media tasks, updates to Remote
Desktop Connection, and more. It was also the first to
include the Beta 2 README. Build 2446 was the start of a
number of quick, successive interim builds as Microsoft
rolled toward Beta 2, but because we were under NDA
until Beta 2, I haven't published any of these shots
until now.
Windows XP interim build 2446
On March 11, I reported that Windows XP Beta 2 had
slipped yet another week and was now due March 21. This
was the second such delay for the crucial final beta of
the next version of Windows, which Microsoft originally
had planned to ship by March 1. My sources told me,
however, that Windows XP was in good shape overall and
that Microsoft was simply fixing a small group of
remaining bugs that the company deemed critical for that
release.
On March 19, testers received build 2462. This build
featured a new "Forgotten Password Wizard" and various
other tweaks, as well as an annoying "Search" pane
behavior that was corrected in later build (see show
below). Build 2462a--a minor update the delayed the
release over that weekend--was eventually declared as
Beta 2.
Windows XP interim
build 2462 ... soon to be Beta 2
At the WinHEC tradeshow on March 26, Bill Gates finally
announced the release of Windows XP Beta 2. "Windows XP
represents the realization of a dream that Microsoft has
had for a long time, and that is to take the very rich
and powerful code base that we?ve built around Windows
NT and have that become the code base for the entire PC
marketplace, for the consumer marketplace, for the
business marketplace, for the server marketplace," Gates
said. "And we achieve that with Windows XP.
"The Windows engine we?ve got here--the reliability, the
performance--is very important. It?s also important that
we?re able to get the industry focused on this single
code base. And so creating drivers, you?ll be able to
just write for the new machine for Windows XP.
"Windows XP also represents a new focus on experiences,
building into the product things that make it very
straightforward; for example, to get at the music type
scenarios or some of these instant messaging and
communications scenarios. We?ve put a lot of work into
the user interface."
Microsoft eventually distributed Windows XP Beta 2
through a number of channels, including the technical
beta program, the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN),
and TechNet. "The broad distribution of Windows XP Beta
2 represents Microsoft's commitment to working with our
partners, customers, and employees to make sure Windows
XP is rock solid," said Chris Jones, vice president of
the Windows Client Group. "This is an ideal time for
developers to build and test hardware and software for
Windows XP so our customers will have the best computing
experience when Windows XP is released later this year."
The release of Windows XP, of course, resulted in the
release of a mountain of content on the SuperSite for
Windows. This included a
comprehensive review, several technology showcases,
and an updated FAQ. And on March 28, I received the
second Windows Media Player 8 update from Microsoft,
resulting in a
number of new screenshots for the SuperSite.
On April 11, Microsoft announced Windows XP Embedded, a
highly componentized version of the OS designed for
non-PC devices. "Windows XP Embedded is a major release,
and the Windows XP Embedded RDP is a key initiative
helping ensure that design scenarios have been
thoroughly tested when the product ships," said Bill
Veghte, the vice president of the Embedded and Appliance
Platforms Group at Microsoft. "This is the first time we
have run a program like this in the embedded space and
we are excited to have these key industry partners
participating closely in the development process."
Responding to criticism that it wouldn't be supporting
the upcoming USB 2.0 standard out of the box with
Windows XP, Microsoft issued a letter to its customers
on April 23 explaining the decision. "Microsoft is a big
supporter of both USB 2.0 and Bluetooth, as well as many
other connection and wireless standards, such as IEEE
802.11b, IEEE 1394, and USB 1.0," wrote Carl Stork,
General Manager of Windows Hardware Strategy. "We have
been and remain committed to delivering support for
these new standards in Windows XP and some of our other
operating system products. The issue for USB 2.0 and
Bluetooth is only the timing of availability for native
support for Windows, and not any decision to choose
support for one technology over another. Because of the
lack of production-quality devices to test, and because
Windows XP must be ready for PCs that will ship for the
2001 holiday season, Windows XP will not have native
support for either technology when it is first released
to PC system manufacturers. Microsoft?s goal is to
deliver support for both Bluetooth and USB 2.0 soon
after Windows XP is first available." Indeed, by late
July, the company was already shipping beta drivers for
USB 2.
On April 26, Microsoft released interim build 2465,
which was the subject of a
user interface gallery on the SuperSite. Build 2465
featured Windows XP branding on the Welcome screen for
the first time, as well as shaded Welcome screen icons
that lit up when moused-over. The new default background
was Bliss, rather than Desert Moon, and this remained
the case through RTM. Most importantly, the new Media
Player was included for the first time, along with a new
default song by David Byrne. The Start Menu featured
beautiful new icons--eventually, all of the standard
Windows icons would be replaced--and Microsoft included
many new background images (Ascent, Autumn, etc.), most
of which were quite nice.
At the Gartner's Windows 2000 and Beyond conference on
April 30, Microsoft announced that the official name of
Whistler Server would be Windows 2002 Server. But
executives hedged a bit on the name and, sure enough, it
was changed a few months later. As I reported the next
day in WinInfo, Microsoft Executive Vice President Jim
Allchin admitted that the name Windows 2002 might not be
final after all. "We really haven't done naming right
yet," he said, noting that he had had a meeting about
the official name for Whistler earlier in the week and
was scheduling another meeting for when he returned.
"The fat lady hasn't sung yet," he said.
On May 5, 2001 Microsoft released interim build 2469 to
testers. This build included four major areas of change
over previous releases: Networking, Net card drivers,
etc., including minor updates to the Home Network wizard
and the RAS client connection wizard; Base/kernel/Plug
and Play/power management, including performance,
reliability, boot time, app launch, setup, uninstall,
and Windows 98/Me upgrades; security & directory
services, mainly new restrictions on local account login
using blank passwords; and Help, management, and remote
desktop/assistance.
The blank password feature was most interesting.
"Windows XP has a new default security feature that
helps protect users with blank passwords from attacks,"
Windows XP program manager Doug Anderson wrote to
testers. "Users who do not password-protect their
accounts can only logon to their account at the Welcome
(Winlogon) screen on the physical computer console
(monitor, keyboard, mouse physically connected to the
computer). This restriction applies to all logon types,
not just network logon. For example, you will not be
able to use RunAs to run a process as an account with a
blank password. This restriction only applies to local
user accounts, not to domain user accounts. It also does
not affect the Guest account. More detailed technical
information on this will be available in a future KB
article."
Build 2474--released internally on May 17, 2001--wasn't
given to testers, but it was the first build to feature
the new Product Activation UI, which now used new
blue-style XP dialogs. It was also the first build to
include a beta of Windows Messenger 4: Previous releases
include MSN Messenger 3.6.
On May 22, 2001, I attended a Whistler 64 Technical
Review at Microsoft's Mountain View, California campus.
I wrote up a report
about the event, and the 64-bit versions of Windows XP
and Whistler Server, for the SuperSite.
On May 24, 2001, interim build 2475 was released to
testers. This build featured a new boot up logo with a
black screen that now read Windows XP instead of
Whistler, a new introductory movie, a Welcome to Windows
screen featuring a borderless window (not full screen
anymore), a waving flag animation on the Welcome screen
(that was later dropped), an icon for Remote Assistance in
the root of the All Programs menu, and various tours of
Windows XP and MPXP in Help and Support. Also, Setup was
branded with "RC1" text, indicating that the release
candidate builds were soon to come. From this point on,
Windows XP didn't really change much, at least not
visually, and Microsoft was working toward the phase
where only bug fixes would be implemented.
Windows XP interim
build 2475
Behind the scenes, Microsoft and online giant America
Online (AOL) had been negotiating to determine whether
AOL's latest client--AOL 7--would be included in the box
with Windows XP. On June 2, I reported that talks had
finally broken down for good. "We're disappointed that
talks broke down, but AOL remains a very important
[partner] and we are working very hard to ensure the AOL
client will work great on top of Windows XP," said
Microsoft spokesperson Jim Cullinan.
On June 4, 2001, Microsoft officially announced Windows
Messenger 4. "Windows Messenger is an easy to use,
real-time communications experience that unifies a
number of communications tools such as instant
messaging, voice and video, as well as collaboration
tools such as file transfer, application sharing, white
boarding and Remote Assistance integration--all presence
enabled with better quality than ever," the company
wrote in the release. "Now you can communicate and
collaborate more effectively with your friends, family
and colleagues."
Another build, 2481, was released internally on June 1,
2001 and given to testers on the 6th. This build
featured a number of improvements, including a new
Windows XP tour and two color schemes based on the Luna
UI. Then called Homestead and Metallic, for their green
and gray colors, respectively, the schemes were among
many others that Microsoft was working on, but only
these two were given the green light in time for release
(others will come when Windows XP is released).
Windows XP interim
build 2481
And with the release of build 2481, the Windows XP user
interface was frozen. After this, there would be no more
changes. "This is a needed step in our process in order
to finalize documentation, the help files, and to begin
final localization," the company told testers. "This
means that the UI is very close to what it will be in
the final product." And in addition to the UI freeze,
build 2481 also marked the point of no return for
hardware compatibility. Although this build didn't
contain all the hardware drivers Microsoft will ship in
the box with XP, the company didn't add device support
beyond what was then planned.
On June 8, I reported that Windows XP RC1 had slipped a
week from the week of June 18 to the week of June 25.
RC1 would be the last major milestone for XP before its
final release. Another issue popping up that week
revolved around security expert Steve Gibson, who
claimed that Windows XP was insecure and would unleash a
plague of Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. I eventually
spoke to Gibson about this, and though he was in contact
with Microsoft several times, he and the company
continue to disagree on this issue.
Interim build 2486 was released to testers on June 15,
2001. This build was notable for only one reason: For
the first time, Windows XP Home Edition could support
multiple monitors, including dual-view. Previously,
Microsoft had said that Home Edition would support only
one display. 2486 was also the first build to include
the four "sample pictures" that ship in the RTM version
of XP.
On June 19, 2001, Microsoft reversed course and
announced that Whistler Server would be called Windows
.NET Server instead of Windows 2002. A day later, the
company announced the final minimum hardware
requirements for Windows XP, a 233MHz Intel or
compatible processor and 128MB of RAM. As I wrote at the
time, "the processor, in particular, is woefully
inadequate; I recommend a 300MHz processor as a bare
minimum and a 500MHz or faster processor for acceptable
performance. The RAM guideline makes a little more sense
because 128MB is indeed the absolute minimum on which
you should attempt to run XP. But RAM is inexpensive,
and XP will gobble it up. Go for 256MB or more."
On June 21, the company released build 2494 to testers,
which was the first to offer up balloon help suggesting
that users tie their Windows logon to Passport. It was
also the first build to feature the new Windows
Messenger UI.
Windows XP interim
build 2494
Also on June 21 was a press event in New York City
called eXPo. At eXPo, we learned about Microsoft's plans
for Windows XP Release Candidate 1 (RC1). Information
from that meeting, held a week before the official
release of RC1, formed the basis of my
Windows XP RC1 review
and showcases.
With the impending release of RC1 came the announcement
that Microsoft and its partners would spend over $1
billion marketing Windows XP. "Never before have we seen
such industry-wide support and such strong enthusiasm or
investment in the launch of a Microsoft product,"
Microsoft COO Rick Belluzzo said to more 600 partners.
"With Release Candidate 1 (RC1) of XP coming in the next
10 days, [we're] working together with our top software,
hardware, channel, and retailing partners to communicate
the amazing set of experiences delivered with XP."
Also on June 28 was a surprise announcement from
Microsoft: Bowing to complaints, the company said that
it would drop support for Smart Tags from Windows XP and
the standalone version of IE 6. "We hadn't balanced the
legitimate concerns of the content providers with the
benefits we think Smart Tags can bring to users," said
Microsoft Group Vice President Jim Allchin. "We got way
more feedback than we ever expected."
On June 29, I broke the news that Microsoft would
release a Plus! pack for Windows XP, and discussed color
schemes that never made it. "Microsoft ran out of time
to create more [schemes[. One of the big complaints that
Microsoft received from XP Beta 2 was that the Luna UI
is nice but needs more color options. So Microsoft set
out to create several color schemes, although only two
more made the grade for quality reasons. Two such
schemes--ruby and emerald--will probably be available in
the Plus! pack or perhaps for download from Windows
Update when XP ships this fall. Apparently, the original
versions were problematic for the vision-impaired, and
Microsoft will use this extra time to get them right. If
you're upset about Luna's default colors, fear not:
You'll soon have a rainbow of options from which to
choose."
Windows XP hits the home stretch
Finally, on July 2, 2001, Microsoft released build 2505
as Release Candidate 1. Taken in the context of the
previous interim releases, it didn't represent a change.
But for the hundreds of thousands of people who had
signed up for the Windows XP Preview Program (WPP), XP
RC1 was the first build since March and a welcome
improvement.
"The feedback that Microsoft has received from [more
than] half a million beta testers tells us loud and
clear that people are super-excited about the
experiences [Windows XP enables] and that we're in the
home stretch for delivering the system to our
customers," said Jim Allchin, group vice president of
Microsoft's Windows division. "Today's release of RC1
further underscores Microsoft's commitment to excellence
and to delivering the highest-quality product to our
customers on October 25."
On July 7, 2001, Amazon.com mistakenly posted Windows XP
for sale on its site, and included box shots. Microsoft
asked the company to take down the pages, which they
did, though Amazon would later make the same mistake a
day before XP was released to manufacturing.
Box shots of Windows XP Home and Pro Editions
July 11 brought some unexpected news. Bowing to the
judgment of the US District Court of Appeals, which had
largely reaffirmed Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's
ruling against the company, Microsoft announced
that the company would be making sweeping concessions to
PC makers that gave them far greater flexibility in
customizing Windows XP and earlier versions of Windows.
The company said that the policy changes will go into
effect when XP ships October 25.
"We recognize that some provisions in our existing
Windows licenses have been ruled improper by the court,
so we are providing computer manufacturers with greater
flexibility, and we are doing this immediately so that
computer manufacturers can take advantage of [these
changes when] planning for the upcoming release of
Windows XP," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "Windows
XP represents a revolutionary step forward in personal
computing, and computer manufacturers and consumers are
looking forward to this product with great
anticipation."
Specifically, Microsoft made these changes to its
licensing policy:
-
PC makers can remove the Start menu icons that give
users access to Internet Explorer (IE) and Outlook
Express. Microsoft will include IE in XP's Add and
Remove programs feature so that PC makers can remove
the visual aspects of IE and install another Web
browser.
-
PC makers can remove the IE Start menu icons from
previous versions of Windows, including Windows 2000,
Windows Me, and Windows 98.
-
PC makers have the option of putting icons directly
onto the Windows desktop, a feature Microsoft
previously planned to remove in XP. "Based on
extensive customer usability studies," the company
said in a statement, "Microsoft had designed Windows
XP to ship with a clean desktop and improved Start
menu, but PC manufacturers will now have the option of
continuing to place icons on the Windows desktop if
they want to."
- Customers can use XP's Add/Remove Programs feature to remove end-user access to IE components. Microsoft says that it has always made it easy for consumers to delete the IE icons but will now offer consumers this additional option in XP.
I spoke with Windows Group
Product Manager Shawn Sanford about the changes. "We
decided to take proactive steps based on the Appellate
Court ruling," Sanford said. "We still believe that we
should [provide] users with a great experience. Users
want to be online, play music, work with photographs,
and communicate with their friends and family. These are
the core experiences they expect when they turn on their
PCs. But we also want to make sure that we're addressing
the key points of the [Appellate Court] ruling." Sanford
said he hoped most PC makers would leave the desktop
free of icons because customer feedback shows that users
prefer uncluttered desktops. Microsoft eventually
modified XP to adhere to these changes before the
Release Candidate 2 (RC2) milestone.
Then, on July 15, 2001, Microsoft announced that six
Media Player plug-ins would be offered for Windows XP,
two each from three different companies. The plug-ins,
dubbed the MP3 Creation Pack and the DVD Decoder Pack,
would allow users to inexpensively add MP3 recording and
DVD playback capabilities, respectively, to Windows XP.
"Windows XP provides a great experience for MP3 users
and, with the addition of the new add-on packs, it just
got better," said Dave Fester, general manager of the
Windows Digital Media Division. "Customers now have [an]
expanded choice for both of the leading digital music
formats, as well as a great selection of vendors to
choose from in CyberLink, InterVideo, and Ravisent."
Previously, Microsoft had said that MP3 recording would
only be added by PC makers, and that DVD playback would
require a full-fledged third party application.
The concessions continued two days later when Microsoft
announced that its controversial Windows Product
Activation (WPA) feature would be slightly scaled back
to make it less restrictive for people who change
hardware a lot. "In Windows XP [Release Candidate 1]
RC1, [WPA] could be a burden for the PC enthusiast who
changes hardware on a regular basis," a Microsoft
representative told me. "Right now we're finalizing a
change to the technology that will work to make a
smaller impact on these users, allowing more
flexibility." The change will let users upgrade up to
four metered
hardware devices over a period of time without requiring
reactivation, although the details have yet to be
finalized. If users make more than four changes,
Microsoft will require a phone-based reactivation. "But
it's a very simple process," said Microsoft Group
Product Manager Shawn Sanford. "You say, 'I've changed
these things,' they give you a key, and it's done. It's
not an interview; we don't put you under the glaring
lights."
On
July 24, Microsoft revealed that another interim release
of Windows, code-named Longhorn, would follow Windows
XP, moving the release date of Blackcomb--a major
release--back at least two more years. July 24 also saw
the release of build 2520, the first build to include
the ability to remove IE from Windows XP.
Also in late July, a group of privacy groups began
petitioning the FTC to sue Microsoft for allegedly
violating the FTC's unfair and deceptive trade practices
statute. The groups later met with Microsoft, which made
small changes to its Passport service to squash the
problem.
On July 27, 2001, Microsoft finally released Windows XP
Release Candidate 2 (RC2), it's final release candidate.
Build 2526 was declared as RC2. "I have never worked on
a product that had the kind of feedback this one does,"
Allchin said during a phone conference with the
technical press, referring to the glowing praise he's
received from beta testers and other customers. "[More
than] 250,000 people have signed up for the preview
program; 40,000 of those have downloaded RC1 from the
Web, and many of them had slow 56Kbps modems. There are
half a million people using the beta, and it's generated
a lot of feedback."
XP RC2 didn't include any new features, although the
company had added the ability to remove Internet
Explorer (IE) as promised, and this was the first time
most users had seen it. Beyond that, Microsoft said that
RC2 was primarily about bug fixes and fit-and-finish
work.
Windows XP RC2: Remove IE!
On July 31, the new Internet Radio Tuner for Media
Player for Windows XP (MPXP) went live, offering huge
improvements over the previous version. The new Radio
Tuner will be localized in 25 languages when XP launches
on October 25.
Responding to an AOL threat to get PC makers to
exclusively bundle its online service with Windows
XP-based PCs, Microsoft announced on July 30 that it
would also require PC makers to include the MSN icon on
the Windows desktop. PC makers now have two choices with
XP: They can ship computers with a clean, empty
desktop--which Microsoft says is what consumers want--or
they must include the MSN icon if any other icons appear
on the desktop. AOL was not amused.
Build 2535 was released on August 8, 2001, though it
offered no visual changes. On the 14th, the company
released build 2542, the first build to require testers
to use new types of Product Keys, signaling that the end
was near. Like the previous build, XP
2542 offered no visual changes at all. "This build is NOT the RTM
build," testers were told. "However, we are very close.
This build is primarily provided to regress existing
'fixed' bugs, to uncover any last minute ship-stopper
regressions, and to get a final sanity check prior to
RTM. Please make sure to review the recent posts on bug
filing."
The end is near: Windows XP build 2542
Build 2542 was the last build that testers would
receive. On Monday, August 20, build 2454 was forked to
build 2600, and the company began hammering away at this
final build for RTM, alerting the press about its
progress and explaining the remainder of the schedule.
And on Friday, August 24, 2001, build 2600 was declared
as RTM as promised, and handed off to PC makers at a
media event held on the Microsoft campus.
Finally, after 18 months of frenzied development,
Windows XP was complete. An excited Windows community
awaits its release.