DELL TO OFFER WINDOWS 2000 BETA SYSTEMS.

By Siobhan Kennedy & William Fellows Dell Computer Corp and least one other leading PC manufacturer is planning to sell servers and workstations running the beta 3 version of Microsoft Corp's Windows 2000, well ahead of the date when finished versions of the operating system go on sale. Dell expects to get a head-start on the competition such as Compaq Computer Corp, which told ComputerWire in no uncertain terms that it won't be selling the beta and doesn't believe in offering products before they are ready. Microsoft Corp told us that it doesn't recommend use of the beta either. Dell will begin selling servers and workstations running the beta from its web site as soon as the code is released. The third and final beta versions of all Windows 2000 configurations are due by the end of the quarter but could, according some Wall Street reports, be around by the beginning of next month. The servers and workstations will dual boot between NT 4 and the beta. Frances Reay, senior Microsoft UK product marketing manager told ComputerWire yesterday PC makers will bundle the software of their own accord, not because of any pressure from Microsoft to do so. Moreover the vendors will have to create their own special programs to service and support the beta users. Dell said it expects sales of systems with the beta to take off, especially among corporates who want to get started on planning their transition, although it admits the beta "is not suitable for everyone." Hoping to get a head- start in the rush to Windows 2000 (aka NT 5), Dell and others are taking some risk in selling a product which is incomplete and will contain bugs. However they will have calculated that the market is already primed for Windows 2000's introduction which some Wall Street analysts believe could ship before August. Some users will be desperate to take advantage of the enhancements Microsoft has made, while others will simply want to start getting systems and applications up under the new code as soon as possible. Reay said that Microsoft discourages users from rolling out early, incomplete versions of the operating system: "Do we recommend that customers do it? Do we recommend that they deploy a beta version of our software in a live environment? No we don't." If customers want to use beta versions, he said, "that's their call." Although customers may get their hands on the final version of Windows 2000 this year, some analysts are advising users not to implement the operating system until mid to late 2000 until it's been tested by the market. Microsoft, which changed the name of NT to Windows 2000 last October, will ship betas of each product, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, at the same time.