So this is what they've been keeping under wraps (>250KB)

[HedsSpaz]

Rags:

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">It's skinnable, and even has the option of going back to the win2k style interface (thank god )</font>

I'll second that notion! Good lord that skin is ugly though. Eek! Bleh.... How could anyone possibly deal with that!? I friggin well hope that isn't the default skin, cause if it is, setting up an XP box is going to be painful.

Ian

[rylan]

Not only is WinXP ugly as hell, but did you hear about the new M$ serial registration bull$hit?

When you install it, the OS scans you system, and takes a 'snapshot' of all o fyour hardware in the system (mobo, cpu, HDs, pci cards etc). Then you have to do a 'register' which sends this data to M$ along with your CD serial number, and then you will receive a unique system unlocking code, which you have to enter within some certain timeframe (30 days or something).

So, M$ will be getting a this nice load of info about everyones' hardware configs. but not only that, if you change something in your system.. say the mobo dies.. then the code you have NO LONGER WORKS!!

M$ response to this is that when you buy their software, the license is only for the system it is originally installed on. If you upgrade your system, you have to buy a new license. Talk about bull$hit!

Oh, this also pretty much screws over people who like to tweak their system a lot.. try differant vid cards and stuff, since the code will become invalid when you change something. Gotta love bill fuc$#@g gates and his evil monopoly M$.

[This message has been edited by rylan (edited 14 February 2001).]

[Jon P. Inghram]

Better question, what if you don't have a modem? Lets say you live in the middle of nowhere and don't have an Internet connection, then what?

[DosFreak]

Geesh, We've gone over the registration system in Whistler before. Mabye it hasn't REGISTERed (hint, hint) in your brain or mabye you have a SELECTive memory.

[Belwarrior]

I normally dont take up an issue but If Rylan's source is right, MS has gone too far this time. Choosing or changing my hardware is my own right, I am paying money for a OS for MY hardware not the other way round and if i have to pay every time i change my hardware, Mr G can forget about my money.

and btw Creative Live has a quirk, its dos emulation changes its IRQs on its own, Does that mean i have to pay everytime this happens?

------------------

[Pace]

Listen to DF, he know's what he's talking about...

[Liquid Snake]

If I wanted an interface like that, I might as well go and get myself an iMac. Though, I probably will not be getting Whistler/XP if the rumors about the registration are true.

[Rags]

.

[Pace]

Oops, I missed the from my previous post

Paul.

[High_Jumbllama]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by Pace:
Listen to DF, he know's what he's talking about...</font>

What? I tried searches, etc . . . but was not able to discover his meaning. Can somebody email me?

[Pace]

2 little new snippets:

http://www.e-winzine.com/main/article.php?sid=496&mode=thread&order=0

An article in German with benches of Quake and 3DMark (supposedly, I can't access it)

http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20010216S0012

A delay in beta 2 till March the 14th.

Please tell me if there's anything interesting in that first link

Paul.

[rylan]

Interesting DF

I'll poke around more.

DF Posted this recently:
"
1. # will most likely only be used on Whistler Personal. The people who buy this version of Windows will not even care about reformatting.....heck they probably don't even know the meaning of the word.
2. I have it on good authority that the # will not be used on SELECT versions of the software.

roblem solved.

Just don't use the crappy Personal version. "

So, I guess get the professional version.
Maybe that one won't look so cartoonish.. rofl

[This message has been edited by rylan (edited 19 February 2001).]

[Gurm]

Hey Pace, thanks for the link. All it REALLY says that we don't already know is something we've suspected for a while - newer builds of Whistler/XP outperform Win2k by several percentage points. Incidentally, these seem to be the same few percent by which Win9x outperforms Win2k!

3DMark2000 7012 vs 6692

And a few fps in all modes in games other than Quake1 (go figure).

- Gurm

------------------
Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

[Pace]

Thanks for the info from my link

Well then, so it would appear that XP is going to be faster than 2k! What are the system requirements like? (from people that are using it!).

And what are your general opinions on it?

Paul.

[Gurm]

It was well known that XP would be faster than 2k in terms of gaming. Win2k's gaming implementation was largely unfinished, due to their desire to ship it out the door. Since the first Neptune beta we've been seeing improved video performance, albeit offset at times by the typical bloat and bugs of an alpha or beta release.

It's good overall. It will be an excellent system, just like Win2k was. Of course, the new interface is 100% hit-or-miss, and a lot of the new "features" are really just bloat, but MS has made them "get out of the way" better than they do in ME.

As for system requirements... any machine that would run Win2k WELL will run XP well. That means no more minimum requirement machines. 64MB is right out. But your average machine will run XP just fine, especially if you turn off some of the bloatware.

- Gurm