Windows XP (whose initial code name was Whistler according to abbreviationfinder) is a line of Operating Systems developed by Microsoft that were released on October 25, 2001. The letters “XP” come from the word ‘eXPerience’, ‘eXPerience’ in English.
In August 2012, it had a market share of 46.33%, and was surpassed only by Windows 7 when it reached 46.6% of the market share. In December 2013, it was installed on 500,000,000 computers. In March 2019, some government entities still used it and it only marked 1.97% of the market; Microsoft definitively closed some type of support, logistics and service on April 9 of that year.
Versions were available for various computing environments, including home or business PCs, as well as laptops, “netbooks,” “tablets,” and “media centers.” The successor to Windows 2000 alongside Windows ME, and the predecessor to Windows Vista, it was Microsoft’s first consumer-oriented operating system to be built on a Windows NT kernel and architecture, with versions for 32-bit and 64-bit platforms.
Unlike previous versions of Windows, being based on the Windows NT architecture derived from Windows 2000 code, it featured improvements in stability and performance. It had a noticeably redesigned graphical user interface (GUI) (named Luna), which included redesigned features, some of which slightly resemble others from some other operating systems, a change promoted for easier use than in previous versions. New software management capabilities were introduced to avoid ” DLL Hell ” (hell DLLs) that plagued the old versions. It was also the first version of Windows to use product activation to reduce software piracy.
Windows Xp
Versions are available for various computing environments, including home or business computers, laptops, so-called “Tablet PCs” and media centers. Successor of Windows 2000 and Windows ME and predecessor of Windows Vista; It is Microsoft’s first consumer-oriented operating system to be built on a Windows NT kernel and architecture and available in 32- bit and 64- bit versions for PCs.
Unlike its previous versions, it has improvements in stability and efficiency. It has a significantly redesigned graphical user interface (GUI), a change from Microsoft promoted for easier use than in previous versions. New software management capabilities were introduced to avoid the “DLL Hell” that plagued the old versions. It is also the first version of Windows to use product activation to reduce software piracy, a restriction that did not sit well with some users. It has also been criticized for security vulnerabilities, Internet Explorer integration, the inclusion of the Windows Media Player and aspects of its interface.
Windows XP is built on Windows 2000 code with a new GUI (called Luna), which includes slightly redesigned features, some of which slightly resemble other GUIs on other operating systems.
XP development
The development of Windows XP starts from the form of Windows Neptune. Windows XP was developed in 18 months, from December 1999 to August 2001. Windows XP was released on October 25, 2001.
Microsoft produced two separate lines of operating systems. One line was directed at home computers based on an MS-DOS Core and represented by Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me, while the other, based on an “NT” Core was represented by Windows NT and Windows 2000, was designed for the corporate and business market and included special versions for servers. Windows ME “Millenium” was an attempt by Microsoft to offer a single multipurpose operating system, although it failed because it had the MS-DOS boot kernel.With the Windows NT code, Windows XP was the true fusion of a single operating system based entirely on the NT architecture with the functionality of MS-DOS, with it, the support for MS-DOS-based programs was definitively eliminated from the operating system.
Features
Windows XP introduced new features:
- Graphic environment
- Faster startup and hibernate sequences.
- Ability of the operating system to disconnect an external device, to install new applications and drivers without the need to reboot.
- A new user-friendly interface, including tools for developing desktop themes.
- Using multiple accounts, allowing one user to save current state and open applications on their desktop and allow another user to log in without losing that information.
- ClearType, designed to improve readability of lit text on liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and similar monitors.
- Remote Desktop, which allows users to open a session with a computer running Windows XP over a network or the Internet, accessing its applications, files, printers, and devices.
- Support for most ADSL modems and wireless connections, as well as the establishment of a FireWire network.
Interface
Windows XP, offers a new graphical interface. The Windows start menu and directory indexing capabilities were overhauled and many visual effects were added, including:
- Bright colors.
- Red “Close” button (x).
- Standard colored buttons on Windows and Internet Explorer toolbars.
- A translucent blue rectangle in the file selection.
- A graphic on the folder icons, indicating the type of information that is stored.
- Shadows for icon labels on the desktop
- Ability to group similar applications on the taskbar.
- Ability to prevent accidental changes.
- Highlights newly installed programs in the Start menu.
- Shadows under the menus (Windows 2000 had under the mouse pointer, but not in the menus).
As in previous Windows (Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Millenium Edition) and unlike later Windows XP (with Service Pack), Windows Explorer includes the preview (thumbnail) of Web files (*.htm, * .html) in the details in the common taskbar in the folders and in the thumbnail view. Either locally saved web pages or internet shortcuts (url).
Editions
The most common editions are Home for the home and Professional, which has additional features such as the ability to join a domain, rather than just workgroups, and support for 2 processors (Home from SP for multicore). These editions were made for sale in software stores and were pre-installed on computers sold by major computer manufacturers. The Media Center edition is a version of XP Professional for computers with specific features: remote control and multimedia capabilities, such as watching and recording TV, playing videos, photos or music; receive HDTV and share data with an Xbox 360 using Online Spotlight. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition was designed to work with the Tablet PC platform. Two 64-bit versions were released:
