Microsoft working on NT 5.1 and 6.0

As reported previously in WinInfo, Microsoft is already thinking ahead pastthe release of Windows NT 5.0, with two more upgrades to its operatingsystem strategy. Windows NT 5.1--code-named "Asteroid"--will follow closeon the heels of NT 5.0, adding more 64-bit support, better clustering, anew client-server storage scheme, and other features. Windows NT 6.0, whichis code-named "Neptune," will include a consumer version that will replacethe Windows 9x line. NT 6.0 is still at least three years away, of course.

"NT 5.0 is not the be-all, end-all," said Microsoft Senior VP Jim Allchinkeynote at this week's Windows NT 5.0 Technical Workshop. Allchin'saddress provided some key details about future versions of NT. He said thatpost-NT 5.0, the operating system would offer up a simpler user interfacethat was maintenance free. He admitted that Microsoft hasn't done a goodjob up until now keeping things simple and promised that the Win32 API--thevery basis for all Windows 9x/NT programming--would be unified with WebAPIs in the near future. Allchin also described the company's plans toscale NT both to the upper reaches of multi-processing servers and to smallembedded devices.

Whatever the schedule, one thing is clear: Microsoft's future is "NTeverywhere.