1 in 2 U.S. corps will be evaluating Win2000 which will be shipped by end of 1999
Microsoft says Windows 2000 on target
SEATTLE, April 29 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. remains on target to ship the
main versions of its Windows 2000 operating system software by the end of
this year, a company executive said Thursday.
Brian Valentine, vice president in the software giant's business enterprise
division, said the release date of the much-delayed project would depend on
responses to the final major beta version being released this week to testers.
"There is nothing in this beta that tells us we're not on target for shipping this
year," Valentine said in a conference call with reporters.
Analysts have estimated Microsoft could release Windows 2000 for desktop
and server computers about six months after shipment of the final beta test
version, although there was an eight-month gap after the previous major beta
version shipped in August.
A separate version of Windows 2000 for large data centers will follow 90-180
days after the main versions.
Microsoft hopes to ship about 670,000 copies of the current Windows 2000
test software, which with licensing rights means more than 2 million users
could get a chance to try the product before final shipment, executives said.
Microsoft's core group of testers will be able to download the product from a
private Web site by Friday, a company executive said. Other users should
begin receiving disks with the test software in four to six weeks, said Jonathan
Perera, lead product manager.
Deborah Willingham, another Microsoft vice president, said one in two U.S.
corporations will be evaluating Windows 2000, according to Microsoft's
research |
