Most of the earlier 288XP's (and all the 181SE's and 281XP's) didn't have a comp release. These saws have a small pulley diameter (less mechanical advantage). Combine that with stout compression...................and you need to have your man pants on. They're not the worst saw to start, but they do require commitment. A working throttle latch will make things much easier (I've seen many of these saws with the op-pres/throttle latch removed for some reason).
Here's the drill. Follow it for EACH pull of the rope:
Set the throttle latch.
1)Pull slowly until the engine JUST clicks over TDC.
2)Reset the rope WITHOUT turning the engine farther over.
3)Focus and pull like you mean it.
4)Repeat 1-3 as needed. "Flailing away" with the rope doesn't work with these saws.
If you're cold starting, only pull a couple times with the choke closed (unless the saw was dry and you just filled 'er up). If you miss the 'pop' (while pulling with the choke closed) and flood the saw, you'll have to remove the spark plug and pull with the choke OPEN a bunch of times (turning the saw upside-down while pulling it through helps if it's badly flooded) to clear it out. After the 'pop', open the choke about half way and do the drill again. Should light and run. The usual stuff....