Microsoft OS Roadmap 2003-2008
WindowsXP SP2, LongHorn, BlackComb in development
Source: Microsoft-Watch via IEXBeta.com
It’s time for Microsoft to generate one of its trusty MapPoint 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. 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.
Given the dearth of hard data from Redmond, Mary Jo Foley of Microsoft-Watch.com has drawn roadmap for Windows Server, based on hints, tips and plain old best guesstimates.
* Q3 2003: Microsoft will deliver the first of the “layered services” (ie, the pieces of Windows Server 2003 that were too late to make it into the final shipping product) that it has on tap. These include its Real Time Communications and Collaboration Server; SharePoint Windows Services, and Group Policy Management Console. Redmond will make these available to customers via download and/or CD. They will run on top of Windows Server 2003 with no reinstallation of the OS required.
* Q4 2003: Microsoft will deliver two more of its layered services: Windows Rights Management and Automated Deployment Services. Same delivery vehicle/terms.
* Q1 2004: Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. It’d be high time, as we’ve seen no updates/SPs since SP1 last September (other than the incremental 1a in February 2003.)
* Q2 2004: Longhorn client beta. And who knows? Maybe a Longhorn Limited Edition Server beta, too, if Microsoft Server VP Brian Valentine gets his way.
* Q1/Q2 2005: Longhorn client (and the as-yet-to-be-confirmed Limited Edition Server) begin shipping.
* 2006: Blackcomb beta. I’m thinking, based on the latest date schedule projected by Valentine in press interviews last week, that Blackcomb will likely come in both client and server flavors.
* 2007/2008: Blackcomb final.
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?
Link: Microsoft OS Roadmap 2003-2008
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