“The software giant [Microsoft] plans to release a series of
application guidelines in conjunction with the release of a final
test version of Windows 2000, the company’s bid for a larger chunk
of corporate computing dollars.”
“Microsoft executives said the new initiative, dubbed the
Windows 2000-based Application and Developer Readiness Program, is
intended to give developers the information they will need to make
sure their new and existing applications will run effectively on
the revised version of the operating system.”
“There have been reports that a significant portion of existing
applications built for Windows NT 4.0, the current version of the
software, will not be compatible with the forthcoming Windows 2000
upgrade.
Some believe the developer information from Microsoft is long in
coming, given the extended period Microsoft has dedicated to
refining its delayed Windows 2000 upgrade. ‘I don’t think they’ve
done a good job of publicizing or educating people about this
thing,’ said Dwight Davis, analyst with industry consultants Summit
Strategies.
Central to compatibility issues are new reliability and
manageability features that may require programmers to tweak
software code related to Windows’ Dynamic Link Libraries, or DLLs,
a technology that has at times frustrated developers, for
example.”