MS Net strategy delays Memphis

The arrival of the next version of W95 depends on the operatingsystem's Internet capabilities

Microsoft has issued an update to Windows 95 to its OEMs, but has refused to commit to a date for the next release as it tries to deliver complete integration with Internet Explorer.

The company also announced the latest version of its Web server family, the Personal Web Server (PWS) for Windows 95, as its efforts to re-invent itself as an Internet company continue.

The service release of W95 addresses problems in the operating system and is a prelude to an update of the next release of the operation system, codenamed Memphis.

A source at a major OEM said his company had already received the service release, which includes drivers for hard drives over 512Mb, remote access services for Exchange and automatic data recovery.

A source at Microsoft said Memphis will ship in either spring or summer next year.

The changes in the schedule for what was supposed to be a major upgrade to W95 reflects the urgency with which Microsoft is becoming Internet ready, said the source.

Microsoft is aiming PWS at small businesses, schools and individuals who need information sharing and Web publishing across intranets or the Internet.

PWS turns a PC running W95 into a low-volume Web server, integrated into the W95 taskbar and control panel. PWS also complements Peer Web Services, included with the Windows NT Workstation operating system version 4.

The PWS software is available to download free of charge at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ download/ieadd.htm.