From...

February 25, 1999
Web posted at: 8:13 a.m. EST (1313 GMT)

by Ellen Cresswell

SYDNEY (IDG) -- Microsoft is "getting a little desperate" with the release of Windows 2000 (formerly NT 5.0), according to a Gartner Group analyst.

Many users won't have a compelling need to upgrade from Windows 9x, says Ken Dulaney, Gartner's vice president for mobile computing and storage. Because it's powerful enough to run a server, it may be overkill for most desktops, especially network clients, Dulaney says.

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"This is the first time we've really seen the same operating system on servers and desktops," Dulaney says.

Dulaney said Gartner will not recommend Windows 2000 to its clients until at least the release of the first service pack. He expects Win 2000 will ship in the second quarter of 2000, and expects release of the service pack six to nine months after that, placing it sometime in 2001.

Many users may wait further for Microsoft's next operating system -- designed for Intel's 64-bit Merced processor, due out in 2002, Dulaney notes.

Gartner will not recommend WinCE to its clients either, because of its incompatibility with other Microsoft applications, Dulaney adds, further digging the boot into Microsoft.

For instance, in e-mail attachments, the sender must first convert the document from Word or Excel files to WinCE format so the receiver can read it.

However, WinCE is very important to Microsoft's strategy, Dulaney adds. He expects it will be a serious challenge to 3Com's Palm computing platform within a few years.