Microsoft CEO and president Steve Ballmer this week told attendees at the European IT Forum 2000 in Monaco that the full .NET user experience is still 2-3 years away, making it likely that it will be delivered in a future version of Windows currently known only by the codename Blackcomb. Ballmer, who addressed the crowd via a satellite link from Redmond, said that Microsoft was working as quickly as it could to deliver a version of Windows that fully supports its new .NET technologies, but that this would have to be phased in over the next two versions. The next version of Windows, code-named Whistler, will feature a subset of the .NET technologies, while Blackcomb, due in the 2002-2003 timeframe, according to Ballmer, will be the first full .NET release, including the new user interface, which the company refers to as the .NET user experience.

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