It failed to achieve this with MSN, and with financial transaction fees, but there is no holding back stock-option-incentivised Microsoft operatives. Blowing away the mist, this claim is nothing but a guess. John Connors, Microsoft vp worldwide enterprise group, said at Gartner's ITexpo in Orlando that Microsoft hadn't yet announced W2K pricing, "but like the rest of our software, it will be very reasonable". Of course. Connors did admit that Microsoft is in the process of "simplifying" the licensing and pricing of its software, which sounds like a euphemism for an effective-price hike.