After using Beta 2 and RC1 as well as several current versions of Linux, I think WinXP will be great for Home users but a bad choice for Business/Corporate users who are running Win2000.

After having looked it over, I feel WinXP can be described as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

The Good: Home users of Win9x/ME will finally get the WinNT/2000 Kernel. This stability will greatly benift home users who are struggling with Windows ME(I personally find it satisfatory, yet quirky).

The Bad: This one will mostly be the thorn in Corporate Techs side, I am one myself. Windows XP doesn't let you choose what does and doesn't get installed. All the installs I've went through, Windows XP doesn't even give me the option of a custom install. Business users will get an MPE/Video Player (Windows Media Player) and several games on the start menu by default. Sure you can remove them from the menu, but a search of the hard disk will bring them up again. You could comb the hard disk and erase the files, but what a relief it would be if they were not ther in the first place. If someone knows a workaround for this please share the information with us. I don't mind Microsoft including their other products with their OS, but forcing them to be installed, in my opinion, is what make the anti-trust/monopoly suit seem very legitamate.

The Ugly: Microsoft Product Activation, need I say more. A article I read on another site is absolutily correct in saying "It's like having to be frisked every time you leave a department store." And the fact that if I upgrade my computer, could make me need to reactivate my product is outragious!
Fortunatly, the cracks I have found seem to work and I don't think this will be a issue when the final version is released.
Quote: "What one man can invent another can discover." -Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Adventure III

All in all, I love the interface, compatability and improved ease of use. However forcing the people who use it to jump through Microsofts hoops is where it goes awry.

If my Linux Mandrake 8.0 would support more apps/games and devices, I'd switch to it in a heartbeat. Don't get me wrong, It has come a long way, but unfortunatly, Microsoft still holds the ball as the desktop OS. So, to all you Linux developers out there, keep up the good work. People are going to be looking for other alternatives then a Microsoft OS, and I feel that your effort with most certianly not be in vain.

Sorry about the long rant, but I feel that I needed to state my mind.