MICROSOFT CORP. Windows XP software launches into stores

Circuit City in Boardman reported that customers were buying the upgrade.
VINDICATOR STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
Not since Microsoft Corp. stopped requiring people to type out computer commands has a new version of its operating-system software been so widely anticipated.
Or controversial.
Just as early versions of Windows in the 1990s brought Microsoft into the age of easy-to-navigate graphics, the company hopes its newest incarnation, Windows XP, launches it firmly into the Internet age.
Windows XP, shorthand for Windows Experience, which made its debut in retail stores today amid a marketing blitz that could exceed $1 billion. Microsoft hopes XP's enhanced features, convenience and underlying stability will boost profits and be a shot in the arm for the ailing computing sector.
A lot of people were asking about the product this morning at Circuit City in Boardman and many were buying it, said John Vallinger, store manager. The store's sales staff is giving demonstrations and customers seem to be impressed, Vallinger said.
Monopoly questioned: But to some in the industry, and to many government regulators, XP is the vehicle by which Microsoft extends its hammerlock on the world of personal computers and lays the groundwork for similar dominance over the Internet.
U.S. courts have ruled the company an illegal monopoly, although XP is not specifically part of either case.
For consumers who pay $99 to upgrade their Windows systems with XP, buy the software new for $199 or get it preloaded in new computers, some of the controversy will play out on their monitor screens almost as soon as they start up their machines.
Some XP features are designed to simplify and enhance the way people use computers, but the same features could also extend Microsoft's monopolistic hold on the operating-software market, as the company's critics allege.
Enhanced performance: Even Microsoft's harshest critics praise XP's user-friendly graphical design and navigation. And most agree the software offers enhanced stability that will reduce the frequency of application errors or system crashes.
This version of the operating system fully integrates features such as instant messaging, videoconferencing and listening to music far more than ever before.