I found this informative:
WINDOWS 2000 CERTIFIED VS. WINDOWS 2000 READY
by Lance Jensen, Technical Support, Executive Software
You may have already seen a number of applications showing up and labeled as
Windows 2000 Ready or Windows 2000 Certified. This article is intended to
show you the difference between the two, and why certification is so
valuable.
Windows 2000 Ready
Microsoft defines Windows 2000 Ready as "ISV (Independent Software Vendor)
has tested the application for Windows 2000 compatibility and will provide
Windows 2000-related product support."
Apparently, anyone who has written an application for Windows 2000 or
converted or upgraded one to run under Windows 2000 can label it "Windows
2000 Ready". They must file a Statement of Compatibility for their product
with Microsoft, but there is no outside testing required. As long as the
vendor is honest and competent, "Windows 2000 Ready" is a good thing. But
products that are labeled merely "Windows 2000 ready" might not have met
Microsoft's criteria for reliability, safety and manageability.
Windows 2000 Certified
Now, this one is different. This one has to be earned. Microsoft defines
it as "Highest level ranking for Windows 2000 applications. The application
meets the standards in the Windows 2000 Application Specification and has
passed compatibility tests conducted by Microsoft and an independent testing
organization." Manufacturers submit their programs to VeriTest, an
independent microcomputer product testing lab, which rigorously tests the
product against the Microsoft certification standards. The standards are
strict, with about forty points that must be met. You can check out
Veritest at http://www.veritest.com/
Here is a sampling of some of the points and what they mean to you:
- Does not read from or write to Win.ini, System.ini, Autoexec.bat or
Config.sys on any Windows operating system based on NT technology
- Performs Windows version checking correctly
- Application must continue to function after upgrade to Windows 2000
Professional (from Windows 9x or NT) without reinstall
This is grand news for system administrators; in essence, it guarantees that
installation of the application will not corrupt your system, and greatly
simplifies upgrading systems.
- Any kernel mode drivers that your application installs must pass
verification testing on Windows 2000
- Any hardware drivers included with your application must pass WHQL
(Windows Hardware Quality Lab) testing
Again, these give you assurance that your system won't be corrupted, but
they also ensure the drivers will be compatible with the drivers of other
certified products. Driver incompatibility is a Tech Support nightmare.
- Installs using a Windows Installer-based package that passes validation
testing
- Supports Add/Remove Programs properly
- Ensures correct uninstall support
- Does not attempt to replace files that are protected by Windows File
Protection
Probably the most common source of application incompatibilities are the
install and uninstall processes. Failure to identify shared files and
altering of .DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files will generally cause other
applications to fail or change their behavior. Standardizing these
processes thus eliminates most compatibility problems.
Links
You can get a copy of the certification specifications from the Microsoft
website here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/certification/appspec.asp
Use this link for detailed data about certification:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/certification/
and this one for definitions of certification:
http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWS2000/upgrade/compat/search/compatapps.asp
This is a link to a list of all applications which are certified so far:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/upgrade/compat/certified.asp
WINDOWS 2000 CERTIFIED VS. WINDOWS 2000 READY
by Lance Jensen, Technical Support, Executive Software
You may have already seen a number of applications showing up and labeled as
Windows 2000 Ready or Windows 2000 Certified. This article is intended to
show you the difference between the two, and why certification is so
valuable.
Windows 2000 Ready
Microsoft defines Windows 2000 Ready as "ISV (Independent Software Vendor)
has tested the application for Windows 2000 compatibility and will provide
Windows 2000-related product support."
Apparently, anyone who has written an application for Windows 2000 or
converted or upgraded one to run under Windows 2000 can label it "Windows
2000 Ready". They must file a Statement of Compatibility for their product
with Microsoft, but there is no outside testing required. As long as the
vendor is honest and competent, "Windows 2000 Ready" is a good thing. But
products that are labeled merely "Windows 2000 ready" might not have met
Microsoft's criteria for reliability, safety and manageability.
Windows 2000 Certified
Now, this one is different. This one has to be earned. Microsoft defines
it as "Highest level ranking for Windows 2000 applications. The application
meets the standards in the Windows 2000 Application Specification and has
passed compatibility tests conducted by Microsoft and an independent testing
organization." Manufacturers submit their programs to VeriTest, an
independent microcomputer product testing lab, which rigorously tests the
product against the Microsoft certification standards. The standards are
strict, with about forty points that must be met. You can check out
Veritest at http://www.veritest.com/
Here is a sampling of some of the points and what they mean to you:
- Does not read from or write to Win.ini, System.ini, Autoexec.bat or
Config.sys on any Windows operating system based on NT technology
- Performs Windows version checking correctly
- Application must continue to function after upgrade to Windows 2000
Professional (from Windows 9x or NT) without reinstall
This is grand news for system administrators; in essence, it guarantees that
installation of the application will not corrupt your system, and greatly
simplifies upgrading systems.
- Any kernel mode drivers that your application installs must pass
verification testing on Windows 2000
- Any hardware drivers included with your application must pass WHQL
(Windows Hardware Quality Lab) testing
Again, these give you assurance that your system won't be corrupted, but
they also ensure the drivers will be compatible with the drivers of other
certified products. Driver incompatibility is a Tech Support nightmare.
- Installs using a Windows Installer-based package that passes validation
testing
- Supports Add/Remove Programs properly
- Ensures correct uninstall support
- Does not attempt to replace files that are protected by Windows File
Protection
Probably the most common source of application incompatibilities are the
install and uninstall processes. Failure to identify shared files and
altering of .DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files will generally cause other
applications to fail or change their behavior. Standardizing these
processes thus eliminates most compatibility problems.
Links
You can get a copy of the certification specifications from the Microsoft
website here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/certification/appspec.asp
Use this link for detailed data about certification:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/certification/
and this one for definitions of certification:
http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWS2000/upgrade/compat/search/compatapps.asp
This is a link to a list of all applications which are certified so far:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/upgrade/compat/certified.asp
