Windows Whistler Beta Slips Yet Again

While the date for the beta release of Windows Whistler has slipped yet again according to Paul Thurrott, there seems to be much ado about the latest build 2281 of the next consumer Windows OS. According to other reports on The Register, testers are saying that the efforts to reduce boot time have paid off big time, with total boot time down to 10 seconds or less. It even seems to work better than the Windows Me fastboot option.

The Register continues by saying that the newest build appears to be mostly bug fixes, but does utilize the new Start Menu Microsoft has been working on which "a ballooning panel which kludges together Microsoft's abandoned task-centres idea with the traditional hierarchical Start menu."

Testers are reporting that it is slow and a waste of space, but that the "Recent Applications" is a nice addition to the menu.

Users of the operating system feel the planned April 18th RTM date is optimistic. Read the article on The Register if you'd like, or check out Paul Thurrott's WinInformant for more information.