“Windows Me–short for Windows Millennium Edition–is
the [latest] final Microsoft operating system based on the
company’s Windows 9x line designed for home users. The launch is
set for late May, according to Paul Thurrott, publisher of the
WinInfo, a Windows user newsletter. International versions will
ship to a variety of countries by early July, according to the
report.”
“Microsoft originally planned to stop producing operating
systems based on its archaic DOS technology with Windows 98, which
was released in June of 1998. Instead, due to delays in its other
products and continuing demand from consumers as a result of the
skyrocketing popularity of the Internet, the company extended the
life of the product with Windows 98, Second Edition, and now
Windows Me. After the release this year, the consumer operating
systems will be based on the Windows NT code base, thought to be
more stable and crash-resistant than Windows 9x.”
“In general, Windows Me is focused around four key areas,
according to Microsoft: digital media and entertainment, the online
experience, home networking and hardware compatibility and overall
system reliability. In addition, the product will include a
digital video editing application, Movie Maker, demonstrated by
chairman Bill Gates at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
last month.”