Windows Milliennium may be drawing near

Beta tester and Windows user sites are abuzz with reports that the final code for Microsoft's consumer operating system Microsoft Windows Me (short for Millennium Edition) will be ready sometime in May.

Microsoft plans to release Windows Me on May 26, according to Paul Thurrott's WinInfo Windows News and Information Site. But Thurrott doesn't indicate the source of his information, nor any confirmation by Microsoft.

Microsoft officials will not confirm any release dates, nor will they comment on the information reported.

"At this point, we are not sure when Beta 3 will be available," is the official word from a Microsoft spokesperson. "Microsoft is committed to delivering Windows Millennium Edition later this year, [but] we have no specific date to announce."

Despite Microsoft's silence, another site, Beta Test, says Microsoft's Windows Me code will go gold in May. (This means Microsoft will produce final code, ready to be stamped onto CDs and packaged for retail sale and preloaded onto PCs.) The site says you can expect to find Windows Me in stores in late June or early July.

In a discussion group on BetaNews site, users were clamoring for Beta 2 copies of Windows Me. One user who had tried the Beta 2 told others he was impressed with the operating system, but he reports striking similarities to Windows 98.

"So far it looks good," the user reports. "...no more need for WinZip: Zip files show up as folders and can be easily opened. As far as performance, it runs about the same as Win98, every now and then it does some serious HD activity (must be all that auto stuff...). I'm very pleased of this product, and had no problems with my scanner, Palm, and WinTV."

So What?

Windows Me is reportedly the third and final release in the Windows 9x line. With that in mind, the possible spring release of the Windows Me consumer operating system may not warrant as much excitement and attention as it's currently receiving.

"Windows Me is less of a change than going from 95 to 98 was," says Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at the Gartner Group. "There's not a whole lot of difference. It's more like Win 98 third edition."

On February 17, Microsoft plans to release its Windows 2000 product line (the successor to Windows NT 4.0), designed for professional users and servers. Vendors have been loading up PCs and servers, which you can preorder with Windows 2000 in preparation for its release next week.

If Microsoft's release of the Windows Me and Windows 2000 operating systems aren't enough, the company also announced plans to streamline the consumer and business branches of Windows by putting the core Windows NT kernel everywhere. This includes porting NT into all of its consumer editions, as well as in Windows CE.

A spokesperson confirms that a product called Whistler will be the first in the company's streamlined efforts. Expect to see a version of Whistler out in the next 12 to 18 months.

For more PC news, visit PC World Online. Story copyright PC World Communications.