Courtesy of Microsoft

Obviously, Meltdown wouldn't have been a Microsoft event without a whole lot of talk about Windows XP. The Microsoft presentation says, "The biggest OS release since Windows 95?" Well, I wouldn't know. This isn't really a forum for discussing the merits, or not, of Windows XP.

Looking at it from the viewpoint of DirectX, Windows XP Professional stood out more at Meltdown. XP Home, I'll abbreviate from now on, doesn't have multi-processor support, remote desktop (Terminal Services), encrypted file system, and a host of other features useful to developers and IT managers. So, Microsoft thinks that hardcore gamers are going to treat XP Professional as the preferable OS version. Like it looks on the roadmap above, XP Home is Windows ME with an NT kernel (shudder).

The premise of the consumer experience, nevertheless, is over 80% of PC consumers share a computer with other family members. So, XP gives you fast user switching. I could be running an application, Outlook or IE, and go get a cup of coffee, and my kid comes around, switches to his settings and starts playing Monster Truck Madness, and it's all hunky dory. I could comment here about how horrific the idea of administrating a single home PC for multiple users is going to be, no matter how easy it is to set up and switch, but I won't. Obviously, Microsoft's XP marketing team didn't do any research on the psychology of providing tech support for your spouse. Prediction, divorce rates are set to sky rocket in PC owning households.

On a more positive note, it's what we're stuck with, and for most tech savvy people, it's probably a good thing. Knowledge is power and all that, and how many of us wish we had more power at home. Now, I guess, you could be IT manager of your own family. Go figure.