Papa needs a new Sword of Wounding

The final name for the next version of Windows, previously code-named Whistler, has been announced. By the end of this year you'll be able to snap up a copy of Windows XP. The XP bit stands for 'experience', which is meant to signify the new kind of

The final name for the next version of Windows, previously code-named Whistler, has been announced. By the end of this year you'll be able to snap up a copy of Windows XP. The XP bit stands for 'experience', which is meant to signify the new kind of interaction a user can expect from the increased Web services of the new OS. But Atomic knows the real story.

Bill Gates is a geek. Geeks play Dungeons and Dragons, and other roleplaying games. Experience points, commonly referred to as 'XP' by those in the know, are the sought after means of advancement in many of these games, going from level to level, increasing in power and the ability to survive getting eaten by dragons. So Windows XP becomes Windows Experience Points; I think this points to a whole new family of Windows operating systems - Windows AC (Armour Class, the 'big iron' server option), Windows HP (Hit Points, the Web option and possibly a part of the whole .NET thing) and of course, Windows 3rd Edition, for when Wizards of the Coast buys out Microsoft and combines popular card game Magic the Gathering with the biggest monopoly the world has seen since the Roman Empire. Right about then we can expect Microsoft to change its name to the Redmond Thieves' Guild, and for Bill Gates to achieve maximum Charisma.

Outlandish conspiracy theory, or chilling vision of things to come? Only time will tell.

In other Microsoft news, there is a chance that the long awaited and oft-touted Xbox gaming console from Microsoft could be delayed in its release. It appears that another company, Xbox technologies, made a patent filing for the name about six months prior to Microsoft's claim.

No decision has yet been made, but it could lead to a judge ordering an injunction against the Xbox release until the matter is resolved. The console is expected in the third quarter of this year. If things get sticky, will Bill rename his latest toy? The thought of all those marketing dollars spent generating brand awareness going up in smoke certainly warms this little black duck's heart.
Microsoft's Web site
Wizards of the Coast's Web site