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For Mac and Windows users, 'X' marks the spot

By Riley Gay

Over the past few years, Microsoft and Apple have battled to be your computer operating system of choice. For both, improvements have come slowly, steadily and, for the most part, with little real enthusiasm from consumers.

Most end-users have been content to stick with whatever operating system happened to be installed on their computers when they bought them.

With their latest offerings, though, these software rivals are hoping to put the “x” back in consumer excitement.

For Apple enthusiasts, Mac OS X (as in version 10) offers a bold departure, both visually and functionally, from previous iterations.

Its “Aqua” user interface features sliding windows, 3-D icons and thumbnails that automatically resize as needed, and “the Dock”, a quick launch taskbar for frequently used applications, documents and folders.

More importantly, Apple has built OS X around a Unix core, with the result being a more stable and robust operating system.

In addition, memory management has been greatly improved; allowing multitasking and the promise of fewer of those “out of memory” messages that Mac users have come to expect in past versions.

One problem with rewriting the OS core code, though, is that applications must also be rewritten in order to work with OS X.

As of yet, few third-party apps are available for it.

To resolve compatibility problems with existing applications, and allow time for software developers to catch up, Apple has designed OS X to install as a dual-boot system with previous versions and, in fact, ships with a free copy of Mac OS 9.1 included in the box.

Both versions are able to operate side-by-side, enabling fast switching between the two.

One surprising little hitch with the new operating system is that support for CD-R/W drives and DVD playback is mysteriously absent in OS X. Presumably, this will be resolved with future updates.

Despite these drawbacks, and a considerable learning curve adjusting to some of its new features, OS X should prove to be a hit with Mac aficionados and converts alike.

A whole new experience

Not to be outdone, Microsoft is currently in the developmental stages of a new Windows operating system itself.

Dubbed Windows XP (for “eXPerience”) and due out in the second half of this year, the new OS signals the end of the Windows 9x line, and will bring the stability of the Windows NT code base together with the usability and multimedia features of Windows Me.

Windows XP, like Apple’s offering, boasts its own new look. XP’s new “Luna” user interface features an eye-popping color scheme with redesigned icons, taskbar and Start menu. Desktop icons sport shadowing and transparent backgrounds that provide a cleaner, and more dramatic, look to the desktop.

But, just as with OS X, cosmetic enhancements are not the big story with Windows XP.

Microsoft’s newest operating system will finally lose its DOS underpinnings, along with support for 16-bit applications, which is to blame for the Windows 9x line’s tendency to crash on a more-or-less regular basis.

In addition to stability and performance improvements over Windows 9x versions, XP includes many features first introduced in Windows Me such as System Restore, which can take a snapshot of your system prior to installation of a device or application, and will restore it to that configuration should something go awry.

It also includes native support for CD recording, as well as support for a host of multimedia devices, such as digital cameras and MP3 music players.

Since Windows XP seems to be primarily targeted at current Windows 9x users, and to help make it a more appealing upgrade, XP will offer a way for existing applications to function with the new OS. Microsoft has included an option to launch applications using a new “Compatibility Mode Wizard”, which will enable third-party software that is looking for a specific version of the OS to run under XP.

Also included will be new versions of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, as well as a home networking wizard, Internet Connection Sharing and a built-in firewall, to provide hacker-proof protection for those with full-time broadband connections.

For both Mac and PC users, choosing an operating system has, in the past, been more a matter of convenience than of real choice. That may be changing, though.

With their latest offerings, both Apple and Microsoft are finally giving computer users something to get excited about.

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