Page #207 (Increased Reliability and Security)

Windows XP offers the most sweeping overhaul of the Windows interface since the introduction of Windows 95. If you choose the new Windows XP interface, you'll notice the following changes right away:

• Brighter colors. The default Windows XP color scheme is bolder and edgier than the relatively sedate color combinations used in previous Windows versions. Windows XP takes full advantage of video hardware that is capable of 24-bit and 32-bit true color settings.
• 3-D windows and buttons. When you choose the Windows XP style, windows and buttons take on a 3-D appearance with rounded edges and sleek shadows. In addition, you'll see subtle shifts in color as you pass the mouse pointer over buttons, tabs, and other interface elements, much the same as those that characterize hot spots on a Web page.
• Sharper icons. Every system icon has been reworked for Windows XP. The new icons are brighter and richer looking, because they support color resolutions up to 24-bit (true color). In addition, each icon is available in three sizes, including a super-size 48x48 pixel version that's more than twice as large as the standard 32x32 icons used in previous Windows versions. The extra detail is most useful in the new Tiles view, where two or three lines of annotation can appear alongside the icon to provide additional information.
• Integrated themes. Microsoft first introduced desktop themes in the Plus Pack add-in to Windows 95 as a way to save sets of color schemes, fonts, font sizes, sounds, and other interface elements. In Windows XP, theme support is tightly integrated into Control Panel's Display utility and supports changes to common controls, window borders, and menus as well.