Gartner Research, a market analysis group, is suggesting that a solid 2006 Longhorn release date is more about re-assuring Microsoft licensees than anything else. Customers who bought into Microsoft's Software Assurance License program (SA) were apparently worried that they wouldn't be getting a good deal if Longhorn was pushed back further than 2006, due to the nature of the licensing program.
Garner also noted that "Microsoft's earlier assertions that Longhorn was not a date-driven release no longer seem accurate." The group also suggested that as well as re-assuring SA customers, Microsoft wanted a earlier release date to shore up revenues.
The compromise to remove WinFS, (not) Longhorn's new file system, to see a '06 release of Longhorn has produced a mixed reaction. Customers, although happy that they'll get more value out of an expensive licensing program with Microsoft, are worried that the new OS's significance will be diminished without WinFS. Microsoft, prior to the WinFS announcement, had be encouraging developers to base future strategies around the system. Garner is recommending that companies introduce XP rather than wait for Longhorn.
Currently, very little seems certain about what will make it into the final Longhorn product. What would now seem more certain is that we'll see a '06 (probably late – Q3/4) clientrelease with a '07 server release, with WinFS left out of the initial Longhorn release. One would hope that if Microsoft learn one thing from the release timing debacle, they learn to introduce a bit more clarity into their PR machine. Hype only goes so far.
View: VNUnet.com
-1 Comments - Add comment