The next major version of the desktop OS will be based on the NT kernel.

Windows 98 is not dead yet - neither is it likely to be kept alive indefinitely. Microsoft is not considering releasing another operating system based on Windows 9x, a spokesman for the software giant said Wednesday. There is also no change in Microsoft_s game plan regarding occasional updates to the consumer OS, the spokesman said. In fact, Microsoft officials said they are planning no changes in the status quo, which the company has been saying for months. The next major version of the desktop OS will be based on the NT kernel, not the 9x code, the spokesman said. Updates or minor enhancements to Win 98 for users will be released as needed, but again, there will not be a full-blown new release of Win 98 at any time, he said. So, don_t look for a Win 9x-based Win 99. "There are no plans for that," he said. "There is nothing on the drawing board or in the planning stages. All we are saying is if Microsoft needed to issue Windows 98 updates, it would continue to do that, but there is nothing on the planning table right now as far as another OSR or anything like that. It is not true." Last October, Microsoft renamed the NT 5.0 product line, calling it Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, and Windows 2000 Advanced Server. A Windows 2000 Datacenter and a consumer version are also on tap to complete to change away from DOS-based systems to the NT kernel.