By Dan Jones
Microsoft Corp has admitted that its next consumer operating system, code-named Millennium, may not be the last based on the Windows 9x kernel. It now seems that the company may release yet another OS based on the venerable 9x kernel after the Millennium OS, which is not due until the middle of next year. We are developing a new consumer operating system using the NT kernel, a Microsoft spokesperson said, whether that’s the next one or not, that’s still in question.
Microsoft has been working on a consumer OS combining 9x code with the NT kernel since the summer of 1997. The operating system was originally supposed to be the successor to Windows 98 but Microsoft apparently nixed that plan and went with an upgraded version of Windows 95/98, Millennium, while it continued working on the NT/9x code. Microsoft is typically tight-lipped about why the combination NT/9x OS is taking so long to complete but industry pundits say that the delays to Windows 2000 may have had a knock-on effect on the consumer OS.
In the meantime, Microsoft is pushing ahead with its upgraded Windows 9x-based operating system, announcing the second beta of Millennium last week. It has improved home networking capabilities, online facilities, digital media functions and gaming functions.
The operating system will be the first OS to incorporate Microsoft’s Universal Plug and Play home networking software (UPnP). It will also feature improvements to the internet sharing software found in the second edition of Windows 98.
Audio and visual digital media support is also be a big part of the new operating system. New features will include ‘Windows Image Acquisition’, an application that allows users to incorporate digital pictures – from digital cameras or the web – into publishing software, Office applications or email files. The Windows Media player will also be upgraded and audio/visual hardware support improved. The spokesperson said that Microsoft would likely add more digital media features in future Millennium betas.
The operating system will feature a new version of Internet Explorer. Microsoft is adding an ‘intelligent agent’ to the operating system, which, according to the spokesperson, will constantly be checking for system problems while the OS is running, which should mean fewer system crashes and error messages. The spokesperson said that work from Microsoft and Intel Corp’s ‘Easy PC’ initiative, which aims to remove legacy features from PC hardware and operating systems, will trickle down into the operating system.
Improved support for games will also be a feature of the OS. New features such as DirectPlayVoice – which will allow people playing games online to talk to one another – are intended to make the OS attractive to the increasingly large internet gaming community. á
