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Can Windows NT be aone-size-fits-all solution?

For 3 years, Windows NT Magazine has been advocating Windows NT for business and Windows 9x for consumers. Finally, Microsoft is recommending the same thing. But Microsoft says that in the future, Windows 2000+ will incorporate the same operating system (OS) kernel as NT. At that time, NT will support environments of all sizes, from individual home users to large corporate enterprises. This strategy doesn't make sense.

What Is Enough?
For the past year, I've been receiving monthly press releases about all thenew features in NT 5.0 that will support a broad range of computingenvironments. Although I'm excited to hear about these new features, I wonderwhether Microsoft is trying to do too much at once. When the number of lines ofNT source code starts growing as fast as Bill Gates' fortune, you've got to ask,"What is enough?" Eventually, will we need a DVD drive just to loadNT, or will we shuffle CD-ROMs the way we used to shuffle 3.5" disks duringinstallation? Think about it: millions of lines of code, thousands of programs.That's OK for an enterprise OS, but are consumers supposed to run the same OS onhome PCs? I don't think so.

What NT Users Want
In a March instaNT Poll on the Windows NT Magazine Web site, weasked readers, "If you had to choose, what would you want most from NT 5.0?"Readers responded with these results: new features--such as ActiveDirectory--(27 percent), greater reliability (26 percent), greater security (26percent), and greater performance (20 percent). That's quite a challenge:Microsoft must simultaneously add features to NT, increase its reliability, andenhance its security. According to readers, if Microsoft loads NT 5.0 with newfeatures but hurts its reliability or security, users will be unhappy. If I werea Microsoft developer, I wouldn't be sleeping much.

So why doesn't Microsoft just freeze NT's features now? Unfortunately,Microsoft developers won't let UNIX or NetWare one-up them on features--thesecompetitors might make headway in certain areas of the computer marketplace.

So what. GartnerGroup, a leading IS research group, predicts that 90percent of all servers will ship with NT by the year 2003, despite the delay ofNT 5.0. The message to Microsoft is clear: If you focus on reliability, not oncompetitors, you'll eventually beat your competition.

Meanwhile, businesses have a pretty reliable OS to use (i.e., NT 4.0).Businesses have Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition toreduce total cost of ownership (TCO), and plenty of information about NT 5.0'scoming features to help reduce anxiety about the massive migration that willneed to take place after Microsoft ships NT 5.0.

What Microsoft Needs to Do
Dear Microsoft: Take the time and get NT 5.0 right. You might sacrifice alittle short-term gain, but you'll win in the long run. NT is getting biggerevery day. Keeping NT focused on the needs of businesses, and making NT asreliable as possible makes sense. Don't make even one change to NT thatsacrifices reliability, security, or performance for the sake of making NT morehome-user friendly.

NT is a professional OS that requires support from professionals. Whenpeople ask me what OS they need, I tell them, "If you don't have access toprofessional support, buy Windows 9x." Microsoft needs to continue to makeconsumer OSs. Long live Windows 2001! Long live NT! And I hope the two willnever meet.

Happy Anniversary
This issue marks the third anniversary of Windows NT Magazine. In 3years, Windows NT Magazine has grown to more than 300,000 subscribers innine languages--it's the fastest growing paid-circulation computer publicationin the world. As the magazine moves ahead, it will provide more of thepractical, forward-thinking editorial that has helped professionals such as youand your peers get your jobs done for the past 3 years.

Thanks to everyone who has helped create this magazine. Keep your letters,Reader to Reader submissions, Web Community Watch insights, Reader Challengeresponses, articles, columns, product reviews, and online contributions coming.Windows NT Magazine is a reader-driven publication, and we aim to keepit that way.

Windows NT Magazine's family of publications now includes SellingWindows NT Solutions, Cha-Ching, UPDATE, Exchange Administrator, Small BusinessServer Administrator, and coming soon, SQL Server Magazine and aWindows NT scripting newsletter. We hope you use and enjoy these publications inthe same way you've told us you use and enjoy Windows NT Magazine.