The New New Windows Roadmap
|
It's time for Microsoft to generate one of its trusty MapPoint maps and plot a clear course for Windows. The starting point is (mostly) certain: Windows Server 2003 (which still has not been released to manufacturing, by the way) will launch on April 24. Whether all of the various SKUs (Web, Standard, 32-bit and 64-bit Enterprise, and 32-bit and 64-bit Datacenter) will start shipping preloaded on various servers on that exact date is another question. But after the 24th, it's anyone's guess. It's not just dates that are all over the map. Even the actual product set does not seem to be set in stone.
When and how will Windows Server take advantage of the 64-bit capabilities of AMD's Opteron? Will there be a Longhorn server? A Blackcomb client? Engineering seems to think there's a Longhorn server in the cards; product marketing/management does not. That little disconnect is a little disconcerting. See: "Is There a Longhorn Server In Your Future?" And "Microsoft Yet to Set a Date for Opteron Support" Given the dearth of hard data from Redmond, I've drawn my own roadmap for Windows Server, based on hints, tips and plain old best guesstimates.
If my roadmap is even close, Microsoft officially is on a three-year cycle for new client and server releases. But I'm guessing Redmond will likely announce some kind of a quarterly-update licensing option to provide customers who subscribe with additional new "layered" features on a more timely basis. (Microsoft already delivers a similar service — but only for patches and security updates — via its Software Update Service.) As I said, a lot of this is conjecture on my part. What's your bet? When and how will Microsoft deliver Longhorn and Blackcomb? Is three years the right amount of time between major Windows releases? Where do you think Microsoft should go tomorrow with Windows? Write me at mswatch@ziffdavis.com and give me your two cents. |
