InformationWeek

April 21, 1999

Microsoft's Win98 Upgrade Plans

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Will your company make use of the upgrades or new versions; if so, which ones? Do the new features justify the $20 cost of the update CD, or is this just a way for Microsoft to try to turn bug-fixing into a profit center? Does the delay in merging the business and consumer version of Windows open the door to Linux, Apple, Be, and the rest; or is the Windows monolith so large and strong that the delay just won't matter much?

Discuss it in LangaLetter threads.

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Fred Langa is a senior consulting editor and columnist for Windows Magazine. Fred's free weekly newsletter is available via subscribe@langa.com. You can contact him at fred@langa.com or via his website at http://www.langa.com.

By Fred Langa

You'd have to visit an International House of Pancakes to find more waffles than have been evident in Microsoft's handling of the Win98 upgrade path--but at last there seems to be a real plan. As of now, it appears to be this:

This fall or winter, there'll be a full release of Windows probably called either "Windows 98, Second Edition" or "Windows 2000 Personal Edition." It will contain all the bug fixes and patches to date, plus new drivers, a copy of Internet Explorer, and a new proxy-like Internet sharing application. It may also include features of the "Easy PC Initiative" which is designed to reduce setup, configuration, and maintenance hassles. This version of Windows will be available via retail CDs for $89, or preinstalled on new systems.

Separately, all the patches and bug fixes and the new features will also be available on a non-retail upgrade CD that registered Win98 users will be able to order directly from Microsoft for about $20.

Users who just want the bug fixes and updates (and not the new features) will be able to download them separately from the Windows Update site, or in a single large download that will be called "Service Pack 1." The size of the service pack isn't yet known. Some sources say it will become available "midyear."

At the recent WinHEC conference, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer said the consumer and corporate versions of Windows would merge in the "post-2000" time frame; other reports refer to a product code-named "Neptune" that will merge NT and Win98 features in about 2003(!).

What's your take? Will your company make use of the upgrades or new versions; if so, which ones? Do the new features justify the $20 cost of the update CD, or is this just a way for Microsoft to try to turn bug-fixing into a profit center? Does the delay in merging the business and consumer version of Windows open the door to Linux, Apple, Be, and the rest; or is the Windows monolith so large and strong that the delay just won't matter much? Join in!