| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : FEBRUARY 22, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| SPECIAL REPORT
The Long and Winding Windows NT Road 1988 Microsoft hired operating systems guru David Cutler from Digital Equipment Corp. to build a next-generation networking operating system. Cutler had designed VMS--the operating system that catapulted Digital into computing leadership in the 1980s. 1993 Cutler's project was released as Windows NT 3.1. It was Microsoft's first 32-bit operating system--resulting in faster processing and richer graphics. But the product was buggy, and only 29,000 copies sold that year. Size: 6.1 million lines of code. 1994 The second version, Windows NT 3.5, was faster and more stable. It proved particularly good for running small departmental databases and other software applications. Size: 8.3 million lines of code. 1995 With Windows NT 3.51, Microsoft made NT compatible with its Windows 95 desktop applications and added a Web server so customers could set up their Web sites without having to buy any special software. Size: 10.1 million lines of code. 1996 Windows NT 4.0 was Microsoft's first real attempt to create an operating system that could run large data-processing tasks. A 1997 update added the ability to cluster computers together for bigger jobs. That year, it took off with 1.6 million copies sold. Size: 18.9 million lines of code. 1999-2000 Microsoft promises to release Windows 2000, which it believes will manage even the most demanding computing tasks. The product includes a directory that keeps track of all users and information. And its Intellimirror feature lets users plug into their personal information easily from any computer on a network. Size: 30 million lines of code. SOURCE: COMPANY REPORTS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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