Software developers at the Windows User Group meeting in Dusseldorf a couple of weeks ago criticised what they consider Microsoft Corp’s unclear Windows strategy. However, according to Computerwoche, manager for developer services at Microsoft GmbH, Manfred Schindler, set about explaining what the group has in mind for the coming year. Beta test versions of Chicago, or Windows 4, will be released in December, and will start shipping in volume by the first half of 1994. Cairo, the object-oriented version of NT, should be released by early 1995, depending on how the market develops for the product. Schindler also made it clear that NT made too many demands, performance-wise, on the front-end to be just a high-end operating system for personal computer clients – which is where Microsoft had originally positioned it. The problem is that many software houses feel compelled to continue investing in NT applications that aren’t now destined to go to their original target market. The situation won’t be quite as bad though, if these applications can be converted for Chicago – even if it means adapting a new front end. A critical factor in all this will be bridging the gap between NT and Chicago’s debut in less than a year – if current cycles are anything to go by, much of the technology in existing NT applications, such as dialogue boxes and front-end functionality, will be old hat in about a year and a half, in which case only about 20% could still be used.
