I keep trying to think why Microsoft would want to have two versions of Windows XP in the market, and I keep coming up with a blank.
One is the standard version, coming in several editions for home, professional, or workstation use.
The other is this week's new version, the Tablet PC Edition, which adds several base-level features.
These new features are pretty smart. The one that could be sold as a standalone application would be the handwriting recogniser, which is far cleverer than most people realise.
Normally, we judge handwriting recognisers by their ability to accept our own input. If we write "In the beginning..." and the thing responds with "If we behind..." then we get vexed.
In fact, I can't imagine why anybody would expect a computer to be able to read my handwriting - after all, I can't read it myself. And frankly, after looking over the notes taken by other scribblers using pen and paper, in this age of the qwerty keyboard, I think that calligraphy is a dying art.
But the beauty of this handwriting recognition system is that if you scan in anybody's handwriting, you ought to be able to translate it into Ascii. Just outline the bits you want indexed...
Microsoft says that it's not going to include such extra features - and there are lots of others - in standard Windows XP, until it's sure it will succeed.
This is sensible, I think. Having to maintain two pen-driven interface sets would be rather a nightmare. But why would you want an ordinary notebook after you've used a Tablet PC device? Perhaps to save a hundred pounds?
I cannot think of any other reason.
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