Microsoft contacted me today to explain that the "Windows 2001" mention in yesterday's press release was, as expected, a misprint. "This was an editing oversight -- inadvertently, the word "Windows" was added to the paragraph," a Microsoft spokesperson told me. "The final naming of the product has not yet been determined, so for now the product is still code-named Whistler." Yesterday, in a press release detailing Bill Gates' Comdex keynote, the company referred to the "Windows 2001 launch."
The paragraph now reads, "While every computing device will be connected, more powerful and smart, Gates explained that the personal computer will remain the primary device for creativity and communication for business users and consumers. Gates said that the next version of Windows, scheduled to be available in the second half of next year, will make the PC much simpler for consumers and business users alike, while featuring the rock-solid performance of Windows 2000 that businesses have relied on. He explained that cutting-edge hardware and software companies are excited and already planning for the 2001 launch."
But reader Barry Peerless may have stumbled upon the real name of Whistler: He wrote in to tell me that Microsoft refers to Whistler as Windows.NET in its late August reply to a GartnerGroup report on .NET. "In Windows.NET (code-named Whistler)," the response reads, "Microsoft will introduce many new features to COM+.
