For the first time, Windows icons could support an alpha channel for transparency and drop shadow effects. Windows XP also included a set of colorful new icons with rounded corners, smooth gradients, and more color depth than usual. Thanks to a visual style called Luna, Windows XP defaulted to a colorful design that featured a blue taskbar with a green Start button, blue window title bars, and bright red “X” buttons to close Windows. Windows XP brought eye candy to Windows in a big way, marking the first significant departure from the classic grey Windows theme introduced in Windows 95. XP required a 233 MHz or higher CPU, 64 MB of RAM, 1.5 GB of free hard disk space, and a video card that supported 800×600 resolution or higher. Microsoft had to make sure people could enjoy the new graphical effects and more complex system processes handling things in the background. Like any new version of Windows, XP upped the system requirements. The two main editions cost about $307 (for Home) and $461 (for Pro) in today’s dollars when adjusted for inflation. And Windows XP Professional cost $299-or $199 if you upgraded from a previous professional version of Windows. MicrosoftĪimed at consumers, Windows XP Home Edition sold for $199 ($99 for an upgrade version). Unlike the divide between operating systems like Windows 95 and NT 4.0 in the past (or Windows Me and Windows 2000), XP would unify Microsoft’s consumer and professional Windows products under one brand, albeit in two different editions. According to Microsoft, the “XP” meant “experience,” with a promise to focus on user experience in the new release. After extensive prototyping, including abandoning earlier attempts at a consumer NT-based operating system, Microsoft settled on a prototype called “Whistler” that would eventually turn into Windows XP.
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