What was the point of Windows 2000 when Windows XP would come out just a year later?

Answer 1

It has to do with the integration of DOS.

There were backwards compatibility problems because Windows 2000 wasn't a DOS based system and Windows ME was, and Windows ME would had appeared better to home users. 

When they finally got the backwards compatibility right with their NT platform, they then released Windows 2000 in a nicer package, with a new gui, driver install upon plug in, and dos support for legacy devices, WINDOWS XP.

Answer 2

Actually, it was 1 year and 8 months later than XP came out.

At that point in time, there was Windows 98 and ME which were for consumers, and Windows NT which was for business.

Windows NT was getting pretty long in the tooth at that point, and needed a refresh, which was Windows 2000.  I remember getting that upgrade at my employer at the time.  It was a real improvement over NT.

Windows XP joined the consumer and corporate track together.  In essence, XP grafted the Windows 95/98/Me look and feel onto the NT/2000 core, doing away with the underlying DOS code base that had been present in previous consumer versions of Windows.

Answer 3

2000 was for businesses.

XP was for home users.

Answer 4

Originally, XP was for home users and 2000 was aimed at commercial use.  

2000 was replaced by XP Professional a few years later. 

Answer 5

Windows 2000 was a business-oriented operating system, whereas Windows XP was aimed more at 'mainstream' users. i.e. leaning more towards home users as well as business users.

Releasing two Operating Systems within such a short space of time made Microsoft even richer.