Why Windows XP isn't named as 2001 in the first place?

[Drapy]

XP means eXPerience in the long name.

[Battler]

Evidently, Microsoft decided to drop the year branding starting with Windows XP, though not completely. The Server editions still use the year branding to this day (the latest being Windows Server 2016), and Windows XP used it for the MCE editions (MCE 2003/2004/2005), and the regular XP said "Version 2002" in System Properties.

[LuLu]

wasn't whistler at begining called Whistler 2001 ?
but anyhow, Consumer variants of NT are better without year
while Business // Server with

[DanielOosterhuis]

Microsoft's naming schemes have always been over the place, in comparison to the fairly consistent naming scheme of Apple's operating systems. The reason Microsoft dropped the naming scheme of years has probably got to do something with NT becoming the standard for all computer users, not just workplaces and servers. With Windows 2000, they had several Server editions which introduced the Active Directory system, and Microsoft, in a bid to stay consistent there, probably decided to reserve the year names to the Server versions of Windows, whereas the home or workstation user would get a more personal operating system with a easier to market name, like XP and Vista. Of course, that was then dropped for numbers again, which also got inconsistent (7, 8, 10), but so far Windows Server versions still get named after their release year.

[AlphaBeta]

Because some marketing guy (probably a whole team) decided that it's going to be called so.

[DanielOosterhuis]

Because some marketing guy (probably a whole team) decided that it's going to be called so.

Yep. And time and time again, Apple does show that their marketing team has it together more than Microsoft's. Hate 'em or love 'em, it's just the truth.

[nixie]

Offtopic Comment

Because some marketing guy (probably a whole team) decided that it's going to be called so.

Yep. And time and time again, Apple does show that their marketing team has it together more than Microsoft's. Hate 'em or love 'em, it's just the truth.

In Microsoft's defense, Linux distros are known to use equally bizarre and confusing version names..

[AlphaBeta]

Ubuntu has a pretty logical naming system these days.

Regarding MS, they tried to introduce a logical system for codenames several times. Just remember Chicago, Nashville, Memphis. Or more recently, Whistler, Longhorn, Blackcomb, where Whistler and Blackcomb are two peaks in Canada and Longhorn is some facility located between the two mountains, or so I recall.

[MasonSparkle]

To be fair to the whole situation, as most people know in Whistler 2211 the watermark did say "Whistler Windows 2001 Professional", so they knew they would be aiming to release the full OS in 2001, but it was still in codename at that time (March 2000) before they named it eXPerience.

Or more recently, Whistler, Longhorn, Blackcomb, where Whistler and Blackcomb are two peaks in Canada and Longhorn is some facility located between the two mountains, or so I recall.

Yes, Longhorn is a bar & grill in the middle of the two mountains (Whistler & Blackcomb) as what I have read & heard from various sources.

[Mister RoyFoy1]

Don't forget Janus, Cougar, Neptune, Odyssey and Triton

[Drapy]

Don't forget Janus, Cougar, Neptune, Odyssey and Triton

Janus, Cougar and Triton arent the codenames of XP. Cougar is the fake codename and it's the Server one.
Neptune and Odyssey both merged into Whistler, and they are not the final names of XP.

[nixie]

Don't forget Janus, Cougar, Neptune, Odyssey and Triton

Janus, Cougar and Triton arent the codenames of XP. Cougar is the fake codename and it's the Server one.
Neptune and Odyssey both merged into Whistler, and they are not the final names of XP.

It looks like he was just listing codenames and their themes.

[Random_User]

Cougar is the fake codename

Actually, there is a reference to "Windows Version 3.20 (Cougar)" in setup31.ver.

and it's the Server one.

Windows Small Business Server 2008 to be exact.

[Drapy]

Cougar is the fake codename

Actually, there is a reference to "Windows Version 3.20 (Cougar)" in setup31.ver.

and it's the Server one.

Windows Small Business Server 2008 to be exact.

Ok, thanks for correcting me.

[WATERMELONS10]

Maybe it was to bring it in line with Office XP's name. XP is supposed to stand for "eXPerience" and I think Microsoft wanted to streamline the product names. Although, they did change it up when they released Office 2003.

[Random_User]

Maybe it was to bring it in line with Office XP's name.

The final names for both products were announced simultaneously.

[WATERMELONS10]

At the end of the day, who knows, except for those that worked at Microsoft when the name was made. Microsoft sure has an interesting way of counting to 10; 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, 4.0, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10. If you are wondering where 95, 98, and ME are, I am just counting the NT lineup.

[Darkhero]

According to the official press release, XP, or eXPerience, was meant to symbolize "the rich and extended user experiences Windows and Office can offer by embracing Web services that span a broad range of devices." My guess is that with the new direction and release plan that Microsoft had, Windows and Office XP represented a new "generation" of software, while the server line was kept consistent with the earlier releases. I've also read somewhere that there were plans to make Windows and Office into a service at that time (hence the need for activation), but I can't find any sources on that right now.