Windows 2000 Beta Team: Party Like It's 1999
Today marks a huge milestone for Microsoft, as two and half years of development have finally come to and end and Windows 2000 Build 2195.3 has been sent out the door. Not only are beta testers around the world breathing a sigh of relief, but the many Windows 2000 beta coordinators are also taking the time to relax - and party. One tester noted to eFront, "I can't believe it's over. We've spent so much time working on this, and
now it's finished. It's truly amazing."
Beta testers were also in for a special treat today, after Microsoft officially announced they would receive a free retail copy of Windows 2000 Professional come February. This topic had been the subject of much controversy, because Microsoft initially told testers they would have to purchase the final release. A 120-day evaluation copy is currently available for all beta testers to download, and will also be sent on CD.
"Today's completion of Windows 2000 represents a phenomenal team effort and
would not be possible without the amazing contributions from our employees,
customers and partners across the industry," said Jim Allchin, group vice
president of the Platforms Group at Microsoft.
Shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) rose sharply after the news, closing at
$108.44, up $9.75 and setting a new 52-week high.
Windows 2000 will soon become Microsoft's flagship operating software, replacing Windows NT 4.0 as its OS of choice on the server and workstation marketplace. It will ship on new PCs from a variety of OEMs beginning next year. Microsoft has been vigorously promoting Windows 2000's stability and reliability, hoping to become a much stronger competitor to UNIX servers that power a large majority of web servers.
Microsoft's partners, including Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, Dell, and IBM, declared an almost absurd level of excitement with Windows 2000 in a Microsoft press release.
Craig Newell also contributed to this article