Research Paper on:
Potential and Impact of Microsoft's Windows XP

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
machines running a Microsoft Windows operating system (Anonymous, 2002). Considering these numbers, one could easily surmise that Microsofts newest operating system, Windows XP, could be guaranteed as a "best seller"  in the software industry. Microsoft officials concurred with this assessment at XPs debut last year, arguing that because XP is a "great product," eventually businesses and users will make the  move to XP. As this indicates, Microsoft anticipates Windows XP providing them with a competitive advantage in the operating systems market. However, many analysts feel that XP is unlikely  to produce a huge spike in sales (Anonymous, 2002). According to Allchin, the difference between Windows 2000 and Windows XP is like "night and day" (Anonymous, 2001, p. 22).  This is because Windows XP is written on an entirely different code base from the 9x code of Windows 2000, which makes it much more stable while facilitating performance and  ease of use (Anonymous, 2002). Nevertheless, the XP system looks and operates much like the 2000 system, so it is easy for users to adapt to the new  format. Microsoft officials feel that the Remote Desktop feature in XP will prove crucial in attracting the corporate customer, as it provides mobile and wireless support. Windows XP supports 802.1x  standard, which was not a feature in the previous system, while providing improved security (Anonymous, 2002). Summarizing the major marketing points for Windows XP, the main factors appear to be  that this operating system is more stable than previous systems (i.e., should crash less often). TechTV (2002) substantiates this assessment , stating that XPs stability is one of the major  reasons to upgrade. Also, XP is more secure, and has more video options than previous Windows systems. OK, thats the good news. The bad news is that the automated