What's in a Name? - 23 Dec 1999

Welcome to Windows 2000 Magazine, the original Windows NT Magazine. What's in a name? With this name change, we reaffirm our ongoing commitment to covering NT. In addition, we add the commitment to helping you learn and use Windows 2000 (Win2K).

For the past several months, we've been telling you about the upcoming name change. Most of you have said you don't mind the new name, but you don't want the magazine to change. And you definitely don't want us to stop covering NT.

We're listening. Windows 2000 Magazine won't change Windows NT Magazine's editorial mission: to provide in-depth articles that help you do your job. We're very sensitive to the continuing need for articles about NT and to the magazine's mix of NT and Win2K coverage. We've kept track of the percentage of Win2K articles over the past several months, aiming for a mix of about 80 percent NT information and 20 percent Win2K information. With the exception of the November bonus issue (labeled Winter 1999/2000), in which we devoted 100 percent of the content to previewing Win2K, each issue's content has been predominantly NT-based: December had 77 percent NT coverage and January had 83 percent. Because the February focus is on migration to Win2K, this month's issue has 30 percent Win2K content.

Our commitment is to stay at about 80 percent NT material until you tell us otherwise. Every week, we pay close attention to your letters and assess the appropriate mix of coverage so that we'll know when to increase the amount of Win2K content. Most of you say you'll start deploying Win2K sometime in 2000. However, your deployment might occur late in 2000, so you want NT-related articles you can use today—lots of NT articles!

I've received many email messages asking why we want to change the magazine's name. Readers like the magazine just the way it is. People ask whether we're in cahoots with Microsoft to force NT users to upgrade. My response is that we've always proudly maintained our independence from Microsoft and our commitment to serving readers' needs. Over the years, we've benefited by having our name associated with the name of the OS, and we want to keep up with a fast-moving industry. According to the GartnerGroup, the OS market share for Win2K will grow from 2 percent to 16.8 percent between now and the end of 2001. The combined market share of NT and Win2K will grow from 39 percent to more than 44 percent by the end of 2001. So Win2K will gain 5 percent market share at the expense of Novell NetWare, UNIX, and proprietary OSs. In some cases, that 5 percent will include administrators who have never used NT and are starting their careers with Win2K.

Our goal is to bring Win2K professionals the peer-to-peer technical help that Windows NT Magazine has always provided. We want to serve all our readers by giving you NT information you can put to work today, and by providing you with enough Win2K information so that you can plan for and deploy Win2K when you want to.

Our surveys indicate that 2000 will be a huge year of changes for our readers. Not only will you have to deal with Win2K, but many of you will also have to assess your organization's entire infrastructure and incorporate the new technologies available in our e-everything world—from e-commerce to knowledge management to universal messaging. These technologies can give your organization a strategic advantage.

If NT or Win2K is your chosen platform, Windows 2000 Magazine will help you build that infrastructure. If you're a new subscriber to this publication, you might be pleased to know that you can access the knowledge and experience that NT administrators have been sharing with one another through Windows NT Magazine for years. Our Web site, http://www.win2000mag.com (still accessible through www.winntmag.com) has every article we've published since September 1995. Subscribers can access all past and current issues online, and nonsubscribers can access all content but the articles in the current 4 months' issues. And through our related print publications (i.e., SQL Server Magazine, Exchange Administrator, Win32 Scripting Journal, and IIS Administrator), email UPDATE newsletters, and Web sites (e.g., http://www.ntsecurity.net and http://www.jsiinc.com/reghack.htm), you'll find ways to quickly and efficiently build solutions on NT and Win2K.