Tech types are all atwitter over the “Product Activation” requirement that will be introduced with Windows XP. After you install a retail copy of Windows XP, you won’t have unfettered use of it until you “activate” it online or with a phone call to Microsoft. There’s lots of details, but the idea is to keep you from installing one copy on multiple computers. Mark Minasi does a great job of summarizing the known information and the reasons that this makes people nervous in this article for Windows 2000 magazine. Although these are valid concerns, by the way, don’t get too excited – my friends and clients will not be affected and I continue to hope that Windows XP will be an enormously satisfying release.
