Microsoft is putting the finishing touches on the second release candidate, or near-final testing version, of Windows .Net Server 2003, sources said.
The clock is ticking for Windows .Net Server 2003, an operating system that is used to run high-end computers that manage everything from checking passwords to keeping track of a corporate payroll. The new system is also the foundation of Microsoft"s .Net Web services initiative, geared to power advanced Internet operations.
"I would not be overly surprised if Microsoft released something (soon) and called it the second release candidate," said Directions on Microsoft analyst Michael Cherry. But Cherry, who used to work with the Windows group at Microsoft, questioned whether the company could get the final product to customers this year.
A Microsoft representative said that a second release candidate is expected "this fall," that the software will be final by Dec. 31, and that customers will have the software "early next year."
There are many reasons Microsoft needs to place a second version of the operating system in testers" hands. Most importantly in the short term, the company needs ample time for testing before its year-end deadline.