> can anyone of you tell me what will likely be the next
> (Microsoft-based) platform for firewall systems (the
> successor of Windows NT)?
From what I've read, there's very little difference in the underlying kernel between NT, 2000, and even XP. The difference from a security perspective is the ease with which one can tighten the os, including better default security settings in some cases. Hacking Exposed offers a good explanation.
My primary concern is the stability of the windows os's, not their potential as a secure os. I don't know that there's objective evidence proving any one of them is more stable than the other.
-Scott
