microsoft is on track to double sales of its hot windows nt network operating system in the current fiscal year, according to a top company executive.

steve ballmer, executive vice president at microsoft, told a crowd of windows enthusiasts at the windows nt intranet solutions conference in san francisco yesterday that the operating system unit shipments this year will double last year's numbers, according to reuters.

mbt shoes tariki analysts expect microsoft's (msft) windows nt-based revenue to reach more than $2 mbt shoes billion in the company's current fiscal year. the company's overall revenue is expected to swell to more than $10 billion this year.

windows nt is gaining ground on unix and novell's netware for use as a network operating system in large companies, according to analysts. ballmer's remarks were made just hours after novell, frustrated by nt's incursion into its coveted netware installed base, announced the resignation of its ceo robert frankenberg.

ballmer also said microsoft would release a version of its internet explorer web browser for use in unix operating environments later this year, but it would not include all of the functionality and integration of the windows- mbt shoes based version.