Unless Microsoft can prove that Windows 2000 is all of those things -- highly interoperable, consistent and reliable -- they can damage themselves and lock themselves out of the computer room for the next decade.

Microsoft has gotten to a size where it's almost impossible to outgrow the market. The surprising 60 to 70 percent growth period is over.

I've just got to be more consistent and be reliable for the offense.

Over 35 percent of our customers run Microsoft Windows Server.

This is an important release of the Windows server, but to Microsoft, it's just one piece of the puzzle. We need hardware partners, ISVs, solution providers and system integrators that allow you to build systems that run your businesses.

Their challenge is to become a good corporate citizen, which means not always being the star of the show but being a supporting player. That might mean sometimes standing under the spotlight; at other times it means taking a seat in the orchestra pit.