News
Microsoft Announces New Names for Whistler, Office 10
- By Scott Bekker
- February 05, 2001
The Windows experience is coming soon, to a computer near
you.
Microsoft Corp.
announced Monday that it has settled on the names Windows XP and Office XP for
its soon-to-be released products built on the .NET framework.
Windows XP -- the XP is Microsoft shorthand for experience
-- is the new moniker for what was known as Whistler. Whistler is the next
version of Windows that kisses goodbye forever the various flavors of 9x.
Office XP replaces the working name of Office 10. Office XP
will be the first major Microsoft product to have a subscription offering,
giving customers the option of renting software rather than buying. It’s the first step in Microsoft’s evolving
software-as-a-service strategy, which is at the heart of the .Net initiative.
Microsoft
chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates said in a statement on
Microsoft’s Web site that "the .NET platform uses XML to expand
the platform from a single PC to include other PCs, servers, smart devices and
Web services.. this evolution from applications to experiences starts with
Windows XP and Office XP."
Office
XP is expected to be released sometime this summer, with a Windows XP release
to follow by the end of the year. Microsoft says it will release more
information about Windows XP on Feb. 13. - Keith
Ward
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.