Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer get most of the ink, but Microsoft's near- and long-term fortune is going to depend on the abilities of one Jim Allchin.

Allchin, a group vice president and 11-year company veteran, is in charge of Windows XP, the operating system upgrade that Microsoft--and a good part of the computer industry--hopes will help kick-start moribund demand for PCs come the fourth quarter.

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