Posted on Wednesday, August 20 2008 @ 0:00 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Microsoft announced this week that the server version of Windows 7 will not be a major release. The new server OS will simply be called Windows Server 2008 R2. This news casts some doubt about Windows 7 as it might imply that this new operating system might not be that refreshing after all.
The move is surprising, given that in the past, Microsoft has used R2 monikers to signify a product with a few new features, as opposed to major changes to a product.
Microsoft declined to discuss what will be in Windows Server 2008 R2, but a spokesman confirmed that it is the server version of Windows 7. The release is due sometime in 2010, Microsoft said.
The server move calls into question just how different Windows 7 is going to be from Windows Vista on the desktop side. Steven Sinofsky, the head of development for the desktop version of Windows, has said that Windows 7 on the PC side would not make major changes to things like the kernel and driver model, but has maintained that it would be a major release of Windows.
Microsoft has said that the desktop version of Windows 7 would include a new multitouch interface, but has not talked about other features.
More info
at CNET.
