NT 5.0: Microsoft's Y2K
(Computerworld 08/24/98)
Microsoft backpedals on NT 5.0
Sharon Gaudin
Microsoft Corp.'s main evangelist for its highly anticipated Windows NT 5.0 operating system is now taking a step back and trying to rein in user expectations.
Even as Microsoft was unveiling the second beta release of NT 5.0 last week, Jim Allchin, Microsoft's senior vice president of personal and business systems and chief NT executive, was beating a hasty retreat from some of the company's previous lofty proclamations.
<<Voice over>>Allchin beats AND retreats? Is this the same Jim who practically schmooozed and scared every living and breathing CEO/CIO into believing Microsoft was the answer....that the S.S. NT 5.0 Enterprise had already left port 2 years ago??>>
In front of an audience of about 200 reviewers, journalists and analysts at an NT workshop in Redmond, Wash., Allchin said NT 5.0 "was not perfect" and called it "a work in progress" in a bid to lower expectations about the quality of some of its features and functions. In short, "NT 5.0 is not the be-all, end-all," he cautioned attendees.
<<Voice over>>Was this the same Infamous "Group Of 200" that's been flying, golfing, eating, sunning and spinning their way with MS Execs on their way to writing about how unstoppable the NT-Train would be as it took over the IS/IT universe?>>
The issue isn't missing features but the richness or level of completeness of certain functions. Allchin is essentially telling users to reset their expectations for something that's only OK -- even pretty good -- but not great. For instance, at one point he said, "Windows hasn't been very good about managing shared [Dynamic Link Libraries]. . . . We haven't solved that problem" with NT 5.0.
<<Voice over>>ONLY OK???? NOT GREAT??? What's going on here? And here I am, this 90's kinda CEO/CIO who felt that I could, once and for all, make a decision WITHOUT my technical underlings trying to - God forbid I'm tired with their know-it-all attitide! - tell me what to do? What do I do? I thought Microsoft NT was going to make this enterprise network "thing" a very simple decision.... >>
That's a dramatic turnabout for a product that Microsoft has continuously touted as having so many new functions that it's more like a new product than an upgrade from NT 4.0. And the scaled-back comments come straight from the same man who said in September 1997 that "Microsoft is going to bet the company" on NT 5.0.
<<Voice over>>Editor's NOTE: Allchin did say MS would "bet the company" but he did say "which company". And here I thought all CIO's were supposed to "bet their companies" on N_T 5.0.>>
Corporate users, meanwhile, are wondering what functions may come in at less than 100% and whether that will further delay a product that has been baking already for about two years.
"It's a little disappointing because they had a lot of hoopla on what it was going to do," said Bruce Seelinger, applications analyst for the construction products division at Caterpillar, Inc. in Clayton, N.C. "As time goes on, expectations are being whittled down. ... They almost bit off more than they can chew. Now they're trying to do some spin-doctoring."
<<Voice over>>"Spin-doctoring??" Aren't we getting a little unfair with this wording. Perhaps PC-Bill should call DC-Bill to spin this thing the right way: ie. out of control.>>
Several users said Microsoft's backpedaling better not mean the company isn't delivering fully on some major new features, such as the Active Directory, a reduced number of maintenance reboots, security enhancements and network management. Microsoft says the features will be included, but users are concerned about how complete they will be.
"Overall, I'm betting on NT 5.0 to save me money. It's already in my budget," said Richard Claing, senior project LAN administrator at Pratt & Whitney International Aero Engines AG in East Hartford, Conn. "With this kind of network management, people who are Pratt employees can do a lot of the management instead of calling people in." Claing said about 40% of his network management now is done by outside contractors.
<<Voice over>>Everyone at Pratt & Whitney....TAKE NOTE: Richard Claing BETS the company on NT 5.0!!! The Microsoft HEDGE: I'm not responsible for 40% of the work. Ken Starr put me up to this!!>>
Dhansham Khemraj, senior system officer at State Street Bank in Boston and a beta tester, said he needs the Active Directory feature at 100%.
"The people [at Microsoft] I'm working with are very optimistic about this product," said Khemraj, who added that they haven't given him the impression that he should worry about not getting what he needs out of NT 5.0. A Computerworld reviewer who attended the workshop said the company didn't backtrack on Active Directory.
<<Voice over>>Everyone at State Street - that great street - please NOTE....Dhansham Khemraj has bet the farm on NT 5.0 with Non- Active Directory because Bill's people are "very optimistic" !! Also note, that "a computerworld attendee who's flights, food and fun are paid for by Microsoft....said "the company DIDN'T backtrack on Non-Active Directory." We DO NOT know who at Computerworld this is. Would someone please
confirm this?>>
But as Allchin downplayed NT 5.0's feature set, his right-hand man, Mike Nash, director of marketing for NT server and infrastructure products, tried to downplay Allchin's comments. Nash said Allchin's comments weren't a signal that NT 5.0 will drop expected features or that the company is tacking even more time on to its as-yet-still-unannounced ship date. He said Allchin simply is speaking to the complexity of the project.
<<Voice over>>Everyone in the world....TAKE NOTE....A Mr. Nash "tried to downplay Mr. Allchin's comments." This is not "a signal that NT 5.0 will drop expected features...?" Is this a "legally accurate statement?"
But industry watchers aren't so sure.
Randall Kennedy, an analyst at Competitive Systems Analysis, Inc. in Danville, Calif., said Microsoft officials he has talked to are worried about how bug-free and stable NT 5.0 will be.
"They're just realizing how much they've bitten off. If anything, they're stepping back and thinking, 'What did we do here?'" Kennedy said. "This indicates they're worried about their ability to deliver quality, and with 35 million lines of code, that's understandable. They've told me they're not expecting significant performance gains over NT 4."
<<Voice over>>The PLOT thickens!! Randall Kennedy - any relation? - scratching his head...sees the picture differently. "What did we do here?" How dare the man make such a risky statement. Gee, and they were beginning to call Randall "Buzz" for having bet the company on NT (4.0 to 5.0) "to infinity and beyond". Questions about 5.0? Is this some kind of inquisition? Randall, how can you infer that "they are
worried about their ability to deliver quality." Is all this just so "understandable"? Did they secretly tell you N_T to expect significant performance gains over N_T 4.0?>>
<<Voice over>> Stay tuned to the next feature of this ongoing "bad dream" as we move into the fall and beyond.
Y2K=NT 5.0....Y2K=NT 5.0...Y2K=NT 5.0
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