This could be a problem, especially when servers running Microsoft's Windows 2000 operating system offer industrial-strength computing for the first time.

ECONOMIST: Personal computers

Makers pray that companies will upgrade en masse to the Windows 2000 operating system, but sales are off to a slow start.

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But early beta builds of Windows 2000 show that the operating system is not completely integrated with some of the new management applications.

CNN: How to prepare for Windows 2000

Addressing these issues now will put you in a position to smoothly handle the operating system upgrade whenever the Windows 2000 gold code becomes available.

CNN: How to prepare for Windows 2000

By incorporating software that allows traditional files to be stored and managed by the database, Oracle 8i also removes the need for a big, all-purpose operating system, such as Windows 2000.

ECONOMIST: Software

At the event, Microsoft will officially launch Windows 2000 Datacenter, the last of the four versions of the operating system.

CNN: Microsoft introduces wireless server

With its Windows operating system platform, the company succeeded Windows 98 and Windows 2000 with Windows XP and then the oft-criticized Windows Vista.

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The device will work with multiple flavors of Microsoft 's (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people) Windows operating system, including Windows 98, NT 4.0, 2000 and ME.

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