Windows Odyssey

Odyssey
Version of the Windows NT operating system
DeveloperMicrosoft
Working stateHistoric, never released
Marketing targetBusiness
Kernel typeWindows NT
LicenseNon-disclosure agreement[1]
Support status
Cancelled

Odyssey (also known as NT6) was the codename for a version of Microsoft Windows that was intended to succeed Windows 2000. The project was cancelled in early 2000 and later merged with Neptune to create Windows XP.[2]

Development

Development of Odyssey began alongside the consumer-based Neptune in 1999 and was based on the Windows 2000 codebase.[2] Features planned for Odyssey were the new Activity Centers as well as a new user interface.[2][1] The version number of Odyssey is unknown, with some unverified sources claiming it as NT 6.0 or NT 5.5.[3]

Due to high hardware requirements and because Odyssey and Neptune would be based on the same codebase anyway, Microsoft combined them to form codename Whistler, for efficiency.[2] No builds or versions of Odyssey were ever leaked or released by Microsoft as the product never left the planning stage.[3]

Confidential documents from the Comes vs. Microsoft case do state that Odyssey was indeed under development.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "The Road to Gold: The development of Windows XP Reviewed". itprotoday.com. October 7, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "A (very) brief history of Windows XP". Neowin. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "Windows Odyssey". BetaArchive Wiki. Retrieved June 16, 2019.