Microsoft Corp has decided to build Asynchronous Transfer Mode packet communications capability into future versions of Windows and has licensed the technology it needs from Fore Systems Inc sources familiar with the deal told Reuter. The deal will integrate Fore’s ATM emulation software directly into Windows so that desktop computers can link to an ATM network without additional software – users will need only an ATM switch from the likes of Advanced Telecommunications Modules Ltd and an adapter board for the personal computer. Microsoft can be assumed to be covering all bases, but there is a camp that believes that the benefits of ATM for transmitting multimedia traffic will be able to be met more simply and cheaply by Gigabit Ethernet.
