MicrosoftCEO Steve Ballmer has expressed optimism that Windows XP will be released right on schedule, even going as far as to comment that the new OS will be ready for production at the end of this week. “Our job is to get Windows XP done,” said Ballmer. “With a little bit of luck, we should have it ready by Friday.”There has been a great deal of speculation amongst industry watchers that the release date would be delayed by US government regulators: the crux of the matter is that Windows XP is as bundled a software package as you get, with digital photography and personal firewall applications included. This has prompted competitors to suggest that Microsoft is as monopolistic as ever. Ballmer is unrepentant. “I don’t know what a monopoly is until somebody tells me,” he said. “Microsoft’s job is to try and create products that people want. We don’t want 10 per cent of people to want our product: we want everyone to want our product.”
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