Who is superstitious about the year 2000? Not Microsoft. The software developer on Tuesday officially renamed the entire Windows series of operating systems to Windows 2000.
Windows 98 and Windows NT Workstation and Server are being replaced by Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, and Windows 2000 Advanced Server, company executives said.
Also in the works is a high-powered version called Windows 2000 Data Center, a 64-bit system capable of scaling to 16-node clusters.
The "Built on NT Technology" tag still will be used. Future versions may by updated with the year they are delivered, such as Windows 2001, Windows 2002, and so on.
The new operating systems will be branded with the Windows 2000 moniker starting with the long-delayed release of what was to be called Windows NT 5.0, which is due sometime next year, officials said.
The name changes are effective immediately for the to-be-released products, but Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98 will retain their current names.
A massive, worldwide branding campaign begins immediately, said Brad Chase, Microsoft vice president for Windows marketing and developer relations, said at a press conference to detail the name change.
"Windows NT was first released five years ago as a specialized operating system for technical and business needs," said Jim Allchin, senior vice president of the personal and business systems group at Microsoft. "Today it has proven its value as the preferred technology for all users who want industry-leading cost-effectiveness, rich security features, and demonstrated scalability."
Allchin added that Windows NT will be the basis for all Microsoft PC operating systems from consumer products to the highest-performance servers. "Windows NT is going mainstream," he said.
Chase said the new name serves the Redmond, Wash.-based company's goal of making it simpler for customers to choose "the right Windows products for their needs."
Chase also said the new naming system eliminates customer confusion about whether Windows NT refers to client or server technology.
"It was time to eliminate the term 'workstation' from Windows NT Workstation," said Chase. "With improvements across the board in ease of use, mobile support, and total cost of ownership, Windows 2000 Professional is the right choice for all business users. It's no longer just for high-end workstations."
The decision apparently caused considerable debate within Microsoft, where some factions fought to maintain the Windows name at all costs. Microsoft had previously said the Windows 95/98 and 3.11 product line was ending and that Windows NT would emerge as the brand of the future.
However, some felt the name change might tie together too closely the high-end business systems with the consumer-desktop versions of Windows.
Coincidentally, Microsoft disclosed the new branding effort within 24 hours of major announcements by two major Windows NT competitors. IBM on Monday launched a major Unix initiative with industry partners Intel, Santa Cruz Operation, and Sequent Computer Systems to create a high-volume 32-bit and 64-bit platform, designed to open up new opportunities to resellers, independent software vendors, and original equipment manufacturers. On Tuesday, Sun Microsystems will detail a major revision and upgrade to its high-end operating system Sun Solaris.