Microsoft said Monday that it plans to release a test version of its upcoming Windows XP to software developers this week, one of the final steps before the company releases its next-generation operating system publicly in October. The company will publish at least one more test version -- a "release candidate" of the consumer software before Microsoft makes it available to computer manufacturers, according to company spokesman Jim Cullinan. As the release of the test version nears, Microsoft continued negotiations with America Online to prominently display AOL's Internet-access service within the new Windows XP software, according to Microsoft.
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