
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 25, 1993                   TAG: 9305250081
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WINDOWS NT: YOU MIGHT NOT NEED IT - THIS YEAR

Microsoft Corp. on Monday unveiled Windows NT, its powerful new operating system that many have been eagerly awaiting - although few personal computer users really need it yet.

The new software - whose initials stand for New Technology but which has been called "Nice Try" and Bill Gates' "Next Trillion" - brings technical capabilities once reserved for large mainframe and minicomputer systems to personal computers and work stations.

But watch out: While NT's impact on the average PC user may not be immediately apparent, the system eventually will make its way into the mainstream.

The arrival of Windows NT marks the beginning of an era of confusion as computer users try to sort out an enormous variety of PC operating systems hitting the market this year and next.

And with Windows NT, Microsoft now has a version of Windows for every kind of PC user.

But there are catches: Windows NT won't be available until late summer, and some skeptics contend NT's next version is the one that will deliver all it promises.

But for large organizations trying to keep costs down and performance up as they replace outdated computers, NT could very well be the operating system of the '90s.

The target market is companies with large networks of PCs, engineering organizations and government agencies.

Microsoft is expected to sell only about 300,000 to 350,000 copies of Windows NT by the end of the year, said Santa Clara, Calif., market researcher InfoCorp., but the software eventually is expected to gain significant market share in "business-critical" installations, where it would be the backbone for large databanks shared by hundreds and even thousands of users. Its initial customers are expected to be in banking, airlines and government, where reliability and security are major concerns.

For most PC users, however, Windows NT is technical overkill. It's fat, memory-hungry and won't run on the majority of PCs.

"It'll overwhelm the average user," said Dwayne Walker, Microsoft's director for Windows NT and networking products. "Like a jumbo jet, you wouldn't need it for a small trip down the coast." Or, as Gates has become fond of saying, "If you don't know you need Windows NT, you probably don't."

by CNB