Microsoft and Y2K - Comdex Observation

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Bill Gates and Larry Ellison of Oracle have both stated that Y2K will be merely a BITR.

At COMDEX (Computer Dealers Exposition) last week I was in the Microsoft pavillion talking to one of their savants about the forthcoming release of Windows 2000. He told me it would be released on February 17, 2000 and immediately linked it to Y2K issues stating that it will be after most of the Y2K effects have occured.

It makes me wonder, if the BITR scenario was really believed then it would make more marketing sense to have it out in 1999 when the majority of firms were getting ready but if in fact you really believe that Y2K will be noticably more then hit the world with your marketing blitz and product release when lots of firms are scrambling to escape the Y2K effects.

What do you think ? Has Bill Gates been playing the market like a fiddle or am I reading more into the situation than it deserves?

-- Dana (A_Non_O_Moose@xxx.com), November 27, 1999

Answers

Dana:

I have a LA TIMES article on my web site which confirms that 'a senior Microsoft executive' has purchased 155 acres of land in the Ozarks as a 'Y2K retreat'.

Now how do you think that figures in...:)

Go here for the evidence, then scroll down for that quote

-- John Whitley (jwhitley@inforamp.net), November 27, 1999.


Dana:

My biggest problem with new Windows OS releases is that they get bigger and bigger. After I load all of these patches on my Windows 98 machines, Windows 2000 will actually take-up less space. In my experience, MS is not a great fiddle player; they just make what I need; when it works.

Best wishes,,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), November 27, 1999.


Maybe Microsoft plans to leave a few known Y2K bugs in their existing applications. This way even the Y2K skepticals in December (along with everyone else) will be forced to purchase the 2000 version in January.

-- Desiree Wilson (wdesiree@aol.com), November 27, 1999.

DW

I hear you loud and clear. I am on NT 4.0 and was surprised to learn last week that I had to be on Service Pack 4 or higher to avoid being exposed to Y2K effects. Last February I got zapped while running Outlook. The data for Feb 99 was dropped and my print-out was blank except for a heading that proclaimed in bold print February xx, 2099.

So now I have installed SP 6 and need to upgrade my non-compliant Bios. Sigh :-( does it ever stop?

-- Dana (A_Non_O_Moose@xxx.com), November 27, 1999.


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