Aren't you forgetting Windows Server 2008 R2 RC that was also launched yesterday to MSDN/Technet?
Built on the same kernel as Win 7 (NT 6.1) this is also a pretty significant release!
Every Microsoft watcher worth her/his salt knows the Redmondians released the Windows 7 Release Candidate to a subset of testers this week. But that isn’t all the Softies did this week.
Here are some other Microsoft-related developments of note:
Microsoft weighing possible new names for “Morro.” Morro is the company’s replacement for Windows Live OneCare that will be based on the Forefront client antimalware/antivirus engine. Among the potential names are “Antivirus Plus” and “Security Essentials,” (plus a few other drab-sounding choices), LiveSide says. Microsoft has said Morro will be a free consumer-focused service available in the second half of 2009. One of my sources say Morro will be launched in June of this year, but I’m not clear if that’s a beta and Microsoft won’t offer further guidance on timing.
Microsoft requested the right to an oral hearing as part of its April 28 response to the European Commission on browser-bundling antitrust charges. Before its midnight deadline on Tuesday, Microsoft provided the EC with the required response to its preliminary findings in a case brought by Opera at the end of 2007. Neither Microsoft nor the EC has provided details about what was in Microsoft’s response. And Microsoft may not end up requesting the oral hearing. “To preserve right to have a hearing, need to ask by time you file your response. No decision has been made yet on whether we will actually pursue although Commission has set a date for a hearing if we pursue,” said a Microsoft spokesperson.
Microsoft released a new Javascript performance tool for Visual Studio 2008. A description from Developer Division Senior Vice President Soma Somasegar’s blog: “Developed in collaboration with Microsoft Research, AJAX Profiling Extensions automatically rewrites JavaScript functions to enable instrumentation that measures and logs each function’s performance data.This performance data is then periodically uploaded from the client browser to the IIS web server, where it is collected and available for analysis.”
Microsoft’s “Huron” cloud hub moves ahead. The company is looking for early adopters to help the company test the synchronization functionality of its Huron SQL-Data-Services-based cloud service. “We are looking for are any customers that are looking to share SQL Server or SQL Compact databases via the cloud and have an existing project that would warrant this functionality,” the Register reported this week. Version 1 of Huron won’t support Microsoft Access, although that seems like the company’s long-term plan.
