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Win 2000 VS. Win XP
With
the release of Windows XP, IT managers are facing a difficult decision
that they should keep Windows 2000 Professional, or deploy Windows
XP Professional?
Fekade
Tadesse
The
purpose of this article is to provide a concise discussion of the
issues surrounding Windows 2000 Professional and deploying Windows
XP Professional, with the intention of assisting you in the decision-making
processes. By no means should this article be considered to be an
exhaustive examination of all of the issues surrounding the decision-making
process. Instead, it is an introductory work that identifies the
major issues and topics. It is divided into two sections. The first
section, Why Consider Windows XP? provides a brief introduction
to the new features and technologies within Windows XP. Section
Two, Considerations for Pre-deployment Environments, contains the
recommendations.
Why
Consider Windows XP?
While
a number of computer journals have discounted Windows XP as being
Windows 2000 with a new Graphic User Interface (GUI), it is important
to consider whether XP’s other new features and technologies
can provide additional value compared to Windows 2000.
Following are some of the features that may influence your plans
to adopt Windows XP.
Management/Administration
Improvements
One XP area in which Microsoft has made significant improvements
over Windows 2000 is in management and administration of the desktop.
Features such as system restore (which provide users and administrators
with the ability to “roll-back” the desktop to a previous
state while retaining all data) and remote assistance (which enables
an administrator to remotely access a user’s screen, mouse,
and keyboard) have the potential to significantly reduce administrative
costs by eliminating the need for costly desktop support visits
or manual system restoration.
In
addition, Windows XP includes a series of new group policy elements
to provide higher levels of manageability compared to Windows 2000
or Windows 9x.
Compatibility/Usability
Features
Another area where Windows XP boasts significant advantages over
Windows 2000 is in the area of compatibility. With Windows XP, users
or administrators can specify an application to run in a Windows
2000 mode, a Windows NT 4.0 mode, or a Windows 9X mode, depending
upon which environment is most suitable for the application. This
application compatibility mode will be beneficial to applications
that are already in use in your organization. i.e. Oracle etc....
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