Windows 2000 Server 被誉为 Microsoft 的巅峰之作，读者认为自 Clippy 之后每况愈下

未来的技术人员会对 Copilot 有同样的感受吗？

The results are in, and it appears that – at least as far as The Register 's most loquacious commenters are concerned – Windows Server 2000 was Microsoft's peak.

投票结果显示，至少在 The Register 上最健谈的评论者看来，Windows Server 2000 是 Microsoft 的巅峰之作。

The tech giant is celebrating its 50th birthday, and we asked Register readers for their thoughts on the company's milestones and missteps over the years.

这家科技巨头正在 庆祝其成立 50 周年，我们 向 Register 的读者征集了他们对该公司多年来的里程碑和失误的看法。

Many of you had a fondness for the halcyon days of Windows NT, with even NT 4 getting a nostalgic nod. However, it was Windows 2000 Server that seemed to attract the most affection.

许多人对 Windows NT 的美好时光情有独钟，甚至 NT 4 也获得了怀旧的认可。然而，似乎是 Windows 2000 Server 最受欢迎。

Reader Decay remarked: "If I was to formulate a list of requirements and break them into Must Do, Should Do, Like To columns, W2K got the Must Do and Should Do columns nearly all ticked and didn't spend a lot of time in the Like To space."

读者 Decay 评论说：“如果我要制定一个需求列表，并将其分为“必须做”、“应该做”、“喜欢做”几栏，那么 W2K 几乎完成了“必须做”和“应该做”两栏的所有内容，并且没有在“喜欢做”的空间上花费太多时间。”

'Bluey agreed, saying: "Sad thing is, back then Windows actually looked like it was going to turn into a great OS. Looked like it was going somewhere."

'Bluey 同意道：“可悲的是，那时候的 Windows 看起来真的会变成一个伟大的操作系统。看起来它要去往某个地方。”

It was, but not in the direction many of you wanted. Yes, XP and Windows 7 received some love, and even Vista was acceptable for users with suitable hardware (rather than recommended), but Windows 8 and its successors were not universally praised. Windows 8, after all, had a user interface more suited to a mobile device, and Windows 11 has yet to set the world alight.

的确如此，但不是你们许多人想要的方向。是的，XP 和 Windows 7 获得了一些喜爱，甚至 Vista 对于拥有合适硬件（而不是推荐硬件）的用户来说也是可以接受的，但是 Windows 8 及其后续版本并未获得普遍赞誉。毕竟，Windows 8 的用户界面更适合移动设备，而 Windows 11 尚未让世界为之眼前一亮。

Away from desktop Windows, a few readers declared the acquisition of Nokia not necessarily a misstep, but what Microsoft did with Windows Phone thereafter was most definitely a misstep. A lack of an upgrade path for devices, combined with changing development frameworks, left users cold.

除了桌面 Windows 之外，一些读者表示，收购 Nokia 本身不一定是失误，但 Microsoft 此后对 Windows Phone 所做的事情绝对是一个失误。缺乏设备升级路径，再加上不断变化的开发框架，让用户感到失望。

One wit (Boris the Cockroach) noted that the company's high points were the prices charged for its software, while the low point was the quality of the aforementioned code.

一位机智的人（Boris the Cockroach）指出，该公司的高点是其软件的收费价格，而低点是上述代码的质量。

The company's Office productivity suite also received some recognition from readers.

该公司的 Office 生产力套件也获得了读者的一些认可。

We'd add the company's pivot to the cloud as another of its achievements, if not particularly innovative. Its survival and success despite legal and regulatory challenges to its dominance and sharper business practices is also notable, although unlikely to merit a mention during Microsoft's celebratory event.

我们还可以将该公司转向云作为其另一项成就，即使它没有特别的创新性。尽管其主导地位和 更严格的商业行为 面临 法律和监管挑战，但它能够生存和成功，这也值得关注，尽管这不太可能在 Microsoft 的 庆祝活动 中被提及。

Overall, as Microsoft turns 50, the consensus is that the company's best days are receding behind it. Its milestones included the iconic Windows 95, but its early foray into server operating systems is what it is remembered most fondly for.

总的来说，在 Microsoft 成立 50 周年之际，人们普遍认为该公司最好的日子正在逝去。它的里程碑包括标志性的 Windows 95，但它早期涉足服务器操作系统才是最令人怀念的。

It will be up to future IT professionals to decide whether the company's current obsession with AI and its efforts to force the technology on customers will be another notable milestone or something Microsoft will want to forget about in the years to come. ®

未来的 IT 专业人员将决定，该公司目前对 AI 的痴迷以及其强迫客户使用该技术的努力，将是另一个值得注意的里程碑，还是 Microsoft 未来想要忘记的事情。