As expected, Microsoft Corp will release the much delayed final Beta 3 test version of Windows 2000 today. Brian Valentine, head of Windows development at Microsoft, will introduce the product in a teleconference to analysts and the press this morning. Beta 3 is not the average beta – it is expected to be distributed to over half a million companies and software developers – but won’t produce any revenue until the full production version ships by year-end. Even then, worries over Year 2000 problems are likely to hold back large scale implementations until the following year. Many corporates are freezing upgrades and stabilizing their systems for Y2K. The final shipment date will depend on feedback from Beta 3 testers. Beta 3 will be the first version of the software to include the full release of the equally long-awaited Active Directory.
