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by recursive 703 days ago
> what new functionality does Windows 11 actually have that Windows XP didn't have? (

Off the top of my head, built-in bluetooth support, an OS-level volume mixer, and more support for a wider variety of class-compliant devices. I'm sure there are a lot more, and if you actually care about the answer, I don't think it would be hard to find.
1 comments
queuebert 702 days ago
All of this could've been added to XP, right?
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recursive 702 days ago
I don't know.

If it could, Then XP would just be Windows 11. What's the objection here.

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queuebert 702 days ago
Simple patches/upgrades vs tricking people into thinking you've made a whole new piece of software. Linux, BSD, and Apple roll out OS upgrades with new functionality without charging for the new versions.
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recursive 702 days ago
That's one perspective I suppose. I have a MacBook on my desk at work solely for testing in Safari. I can no longer use it for that purpose because it won't even let me upgrade the OS. That sounds like a whole new piece of software to me. Windows actually has been substantially re-written. I guess MacOS has also? It seems more honest to me call it a different product.

Not that I strongly care much one way or another.

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psd1 702 days ago
Longhorn was a significant rewrite, actually. The two big upheavals in windows history were: 2000, which essentially scrapped the 95 lineage in favour of NT; and Vista, which kicked a lot of 3rd-party crap out of the kernel and added a quality gate for drivers.
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umanwizard 702 days ago
The Win95 lineage still existed, in the form of Windows ME, alongside 2000. XP is when they got rid of it and unified the two product lines.
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