The Story of Windows XP (II): 45 Million Lines of Market-Ready Code

Microsoft began the year 2001 by announcing in February the name of its new operating system: Windows XP Ahead were more than seven months of development in which those from Redmond would have to work against the clock to finish a new version of their best-known product. A version that was also destined to revolutionize the most used operating system in the world.

New base, new interface and new experience; the three elements came together in the 45 million lines of code of Windows XPDuring its development, the system had to pass the scrutiny of testers and consumers before its arrival on the market. Microsoft did not have it easy and was forced to face delays and various pitfalls before finally completing the work and giving birth to the operating system destined to reign for years to come.

A new style: 'Moon'

After announcing the name of Windows XP Microsoft continued working on successive betas and builds of its next operating system. The first with the new name would be Beta 2 and it would mean the definitive change in Windows and its user interfaceThe first to see it were twenty journalists invited by Microsoft to a two-day event at its Redmond headquarters under a strict non-disclosure agreement.

These chosen twenty became the first people outside the company to see the new Windows XP user interface, which would replace the classic gray and sober Windows 9x.Still, the rest of the world wouldn't have to wait long. On February 13, 2001, at the Experience Music Project (EMP) event, Microsoft unveiled 'Luna' to the world, the new visual style for Windows XP.

The Moon theme in Windows XP

'Luna' had a new design and colors that changed the appearance of the system while respecting traditional Windows elements. Even so, it was a radical change for an operating system destined at the same time for home and companies, and its appearance was not without its critics. In successive builds Microsoft would correct initial defects, such as the disproportionate size of widgets or the taskbar and its icons, and adding customization options, including a classic theme that returned Windows XP to the appearance of Windows 9x.

&39;Luna&39; was the visible face of other much deeper changes that modified the way Windows worked and improved the user experience by focusing the different actions of the system on their daily tasks.This new eXPerience>was much more than an aesthetic change and it represented an evolution of Windows that could not be reversed."

Beta 2 and the fight against delays

Beta 2 was the next milestone in the development of Windows XP. It would be the first test version under the new name and should be ready by the end of February. Previous builds, such as 2428, were integrating the new interface and the testers were able to see it first hand, but Beta 2 would take longer than expected, complicating the development schedule initially planned by management.

Delays in certain phases of development put a strain on Microsoft's schedule for Windows XP to hit the market on October 25, 2001

Microsoft was forced to delay Windows XP Beta 2 from late February to mid-March in a risky but necessary move.An internal email revealed that Redmond were not hitting their targets for that patch and the two week delay should serve to ramp up the intensity. Management was concerned that if they were not able to complete the work for Beta 2 on time they would not be able to meet the planned schedule and the system would end up falling behind schedule. In the end, and despite further delays, this was not the case and Microsoft managed to keep Windows XP on schedule.

Bill Gates announced on March 26, 2001 the arrival of Windows XP Beta 2. The system continued its development and Gates' words during the announcement perfectly described the achievement that Windows XP meant for the company:

Beta 2 was distributed through various channels, including the Beta Program itself, the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN), and TechNet. The intention of such an extensive testing program was to ensure the perfect functioning of Windows XP, for which they needed to have employees, developers, partners and consumers.From that moment on, Windows testing would no longer be a purely internal task.

Preparing the first Release Candidate

After Beta 2 the months leading up to the summer were filled with preview builds and major announcements. An important one occurred on April 11. That day Microsoft announced Windows XP Embedded, the version of the system designed to work embedded in equipment for specific environments such as ATMs or points of sale. The version has been key for Microsoft and even today it remains in a very high percentage of these machines, representing one of the biggest challenges that the industry has to overcome in order to support Windows XP.

April also saw the arrival of the Windows XP brand on the welcome screen of the operating system and the most famous wallpaper in history. In build 2465 on April 26, Microsoft replaced the Desert Moon wallpaper with Bliss, making it the default Windows XP wallpaper.The photograph, which showed the green hills of the Napa Valley in California crowned by a calm blue sky, had been acquired by Microsoft in the year 2000 and would become one of the most viewed in history thanks to its presence on millions of computers. of all the world.

Bliss, the Windows XP wallpaper and the same place in 2006

In May and June several builds brought with them changes in network configuration and drivers, in the plug and play system and in power management; in addition to improvements in performance, reliability and system load times. One of them was the first to include Windows Messenger, which would replace MSN Messenger as the system's default messaging client.

Changes and novelties that would be added to others until the arrival of build 2475, which released the start screen with a black background and Windows XP logo and which practically put an end to the development process.From here on the system would have few visual changes and the task became to fix errors, finalize the documentation, translate everything and improve the system for its final version. The builds would continue to arrive, yes, but the interface and hardware compatibility would be terminated with build 2481 released between June 1 and 6, 2001 .

RC1, RC2 and the summer before departure

In Redmond they planned to publish the first Release Candidate (RC1) of Windows XP on June 25, after delaying it a week from the originally scheduled date of the 18th. On that day, however, Microsoft announced the minimum hardware requirements for Windows XP: Intel 233 MHz or compatible processor and 128 MB of RAM Three days later in a event held in New York under the name of eXPo, those from Redmond explained their plans for RC1 and would confirm the date of October 25, 2001 as the time of release to the market of Windows XP

Up to half a million users tested Windows XP during its development, providing invaluable feedback

Windows XP RC1, build 2505, would not reach testers until July 2nd. This will be the first version accessible to the more than 250,000 people who have signed up for the Windows XP Preview Program (WPP). It will be the first time that all of them see the new system, further increasing the number of Windows XP testers. Half a million users tested the system before its release, providing invaluable feedback on its development.

Less than a week after the arrival of RC1, the world was able to see the box that would contain Windows XP much sooner than expected. The fault lay with Amazon, in whose online store the system file could be seen on July 7 until Microsoft requested its withdrawal. But Amazon's slide was the least of Redmond's problems during the summer months.

Windows XP Home and Professional boxes

July also brought important news for the future of Microsoft and its operating system related to antitrust measures imposed on the company by US authoritiesBecause of them, Microsoft changed the license policy for manufacturers allowing greater flexibility to configure the system. From that moment on, access to Internet Explorer and Outlook could be modified, and Microsoft would include these among the programs that could be eliminated, allowing manufacturers to change the visual aspect of the browser or install another. Manufacturers could also put icons directly on the Windows XP desktop, an option Microsoft intended to limit based on its own internal studies of user preferences.

Changes were added for inclusion in Release Candidate 2 (RC2), the last stage of the system under development before release final version.Windows XP RC2 arrived on July 27, 2001 with build 2526. It did not include any great news, but errors were corrected and the process was accelerated to have a final version of the system ready as soon as possible. Build 2545 will be the last build testers receive and the first to require the use of new product keys, signaling the near end of the development and testing process for Windows XP.

Windows XP was ready

Started more than two years ago with Neptune and Odyssey, the new version of Windows was nearing completion in August 2001 It had taken Microsoft a full year of development on the Whistler project and six months working under the Windows XP name to complete it. Months of builds, betas, and release candidates tested by hundreds of thousands of users were about to end with the culmination of Windows XP development.

Bill Gates at the time of delivery of Windows XP to manufacturers

That moment would come on August 24, 2001 with the build 2600 declared RTM: Release to manufacturing Windows XP was ready and the manufacturers would be the first to receive it. Microsoft staged the delivery with an event at its Redmond campus where representatives from five major manufacturers received copies of the operating system and took off from Redmond in helicopters decorated with the XP brand. They could now get to work to prepare new equipment that would be on sale from September 24.

Even though Windows XP was ready consumers would still have to wait until October 25th to be able to purchase Microsoft's new operating system . For that day Microsoft prepared a special presentation in New York that would mark the beginning of the long life of Windows XP.

In Xataka Windows | The history of Windows XP I