Windows XP, scheduled for release this year, builds upon the international functionality of the Windows 2000 platform. Currently in beta, Windows XP provides new globalization features related to Unicode such as support for new scripts, languages and locales, a wider variety of input locales and rendering features, enhanced support for surrogates and improved Multilingual User Interface (MUI) support.

The primary purpose of this paper is to outline the new international support in Windows XP, describe this support within the historical context of Unicode on the Windows NT platform, discuss how language support is integrated into a single worldwide source, and finally, demonstrate that Unicode support is essential to building a fully globalized operating system. Future directions in Windows globalization will also be discussed.