Learning by eXPerience

The Windows XP platform is NT-based, rather than Win 9x-based, which has caused a great many problems during development. Microsoft has struggled to put together code fixes and workarounds designed to support users with a legion of Win 9x applications in tow.

But it has allowed Microsoft to implement the many strengths of Windows 2000 for all users - in particular the networking, desktop communications, security and reliability elements. The platform also has a number of extra bells and whistles thrown in to make NT seem a little less intimidating.

For example, XP offers a different approach from the graphical user interface, with the introduction of skins. In a move clearly designed to appease home users, the look of the OS can be chosen from a predefined selection.

For users of either the Home or Professional editions of XP, there is a strong emphasis on desktop communications.

The minimum hardware requirements for XP have therefore grown considerably from the 486-class kit that originally drove the Windows 95 revolution.

Faster processors, web cams, broadband or unmetered internet connections, multi-computer households and the growth of wireless networking in the workplace all go into the mix that has helped push the applications onto the desktop to support the communications features of XP.

The most significant addition to the standard application set in XP is Windows Messenger, a hybrid of two existing applications: NetMeeting and Instant Messenger.

Getting the message

Instant messaging is a growing phenomenon, increasing in popularity in the same way as SMS text messaging. The difference is that it has a sound business application - the ability to communicate with other users who are online more dynamically than is possible with email, as well as being able to display the online and offline status of users on your address list.

The existing Instant Messenger client has been around for some time now, offering a very basic text-based communications platform that can be tied in to an Exchange server within a company structure, or used externally via Microsoft's MSN portal and Passport log-in service for the general public.

NetMeeting, on the other hand, provides a fully-featured, collaborative working and communications environment, offering video conferencing, shared whiteboard and file sharing. Sadly, it is saddled with a cumbersome and unloved interface, and so remains one of the less used tools in the Microsoft Internet browsing suite.

The best elements of the two have been pulled together to create Windows Messenger. This single application supports the immediacy of Instant Messaging chat and online/offline user notification, while adding a video conferencing display and voice chat control panel to the same console window. It's going to be popular with business users.

Desktop video conferencing has been kicked around for several years, but has always been handicapped by congested network infrastructures in the workplace and slow, modem-based internet connections at home and in the field. The adoption of gigabit ethernet infrastructure at work and broadband internet connections in homes and hotels means video conferencing has become more practical, especially given the falling price of web cams.

The Windows Messenger client still offers integration with Exchange, allowing companies to create Messenger groups to service teams and departments, which creates a more productive communication environment, particularly for staff dispersed over a wide area.

Remote control working

XP Professional will include a number of tools designed for remote working and desktop administration, and the most useful of these is the Remote Desktop. This allows you to create a virtual session on your desktop computer using Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol.

Using a dial-up or virtual private network connection, you can operate your desktop through a window, giving you access to all your files stored on the remote machine, as well as visual control of its desktop.

The machine being accessed also goes into a locked mode, preventing passers-by from seeing what is taking place on screen while the computer is being manipulated remotely.

The technology is not new - there are products on the market already, some from Microsoft itself, and Citrix has offered this kind of feature for some time. But this will be the first time that it's been built in to the OS itself, providing a cheap solution to remote access and control.

www.eu.microsoft.com/windowsxp