Jargon Buster, Page 7

COM+ Services

With Windows 2000 comes a new and improved version of COM, cleverly christened COM+. This new architecture provides developers with greater security features, better object pooling and a new threading model. It also bundles with COM+ Events, a method of 'raising events' through a network of publishers and subscribers. You can get further information on COM+ at www.microsoft.com/com/ or read the developer documentation here we'll also be listing appropriate COM+ reading on this site within the next few weeks.

Windows XP

Windows XP is the next home operating system, the upgrade to Windows ME. It's short for "Windows Experience" apparently and is built on the same engine as Windows 2000. Expect a groovy new interface. Codenamed Whistler and currently in beta, the title is scheduled for release later this year.