Skinny Windows XP may target low-end, legacy desktops

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May 20, 2005

Details have emerged regarding "Eiger," an upcoming low-cost, limited-capability version of Windows XP for resource-constrained thin clients and older PCs. Initially described by Steven Bink on his blog as an OS for thin client systems, Eiger will instead be positioned as an upgrade for older systems running Windows 95/98 or NT4, according to stories this week from Bink and Microsoft Watch.

Bink interviewed Barry Goffe, a Windows group product manager, who listed several scenarios where Eiger's support of legacy PCs fits in:

Education and government environments -- IT budgets are often low, and there is often no budget for replacing hardware.
Businesses where information workers use new PCs running Windows XP, while other divisions such as call centers and factory floors use older PCs usually running a single task-oriented application.

Bink reports that Goffe said Eiger will address the needs of users who, for whatever reason, can't upgrade their hardware but are concerned about issues such as security and the loss of support for legacy operating systems.

Meanwhile, in a separate interview with Mary Jo Foley, editor of Microsoft Watch, Goffe suggested that Eiger is more of a "lean" client than a thin client. He also denied that Microsoft is looking at Eiger as a way to stave off defections from older versions of Windows to Linux or other alternative operating systems, according to Foley. "Everyone I talk to wants to go to XP, but some don't have the resources or the ability to go there right now," Goffe told Foley.

Eiger reportedly runs on Pentium II class machines with as little as 64 MB of RAM, although 128 MB is recommended. About 500 MB of disk space is currently required.

"This is a hybrid between XP Professional SP2 and Windows Embedded," Goffe told Foley. "Embedded lets you take out parts of the operating system. But the problem with embedded is it doesn't include Plug and Play," he added.

Bink reports that the software is currently being tested by a "small selected group of customers" who are just now starting to provide feedback. Goffe declined to provide any details on release date, licensing models, distribution, or pricing, Bink said.

Read the latest Bink story here.

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