As time progresses, the lineage of Windows becomes less linear. Windows 2000, despite its name, is not the successor to Windows 98 and Windows 95; Windows Me, of course, has that distinction. Windows 2000 is, instead, the latest installment to the less-consumer-oriented Windows NT line of operating systems, developed in parallel to the Windows 9x line.

Figure 1-1 shows a representative family tree and where Windows Me and Windows 2000 fit in. Note that wider boxes imply a greater installed base, and wider gray arrows imply a greater migration from one product to another. Products appearing farther to the right are perceived to have both greater complexity and more technological sophistication.

Figure 1-1. The nonlinear Windows Family Tree is hopefully heading toward a future unifying product

There were rumors that what has become Windows 2000 was supposed to be the product that unified the upscale NT line with the consumer-oriented^[4] Windows 9x line. This role has been ostensibly postponed to the Windows XP operating system (code-named “Whistler”), probably Microsoft’s most confusing name choice to date.

So why the distinction between DOS-based Windows operating systems and the NT line? We peons were informed at the inception of Windows NT 3.1 that “NT” was an acronym for “New Technology,” which is actually quite an accurate description. The NT kernel, ...