Heroes happen on Microsoft's big day

Microsoft have billed today’s triple UK launch of Windows Server 2008 along with SQL Server and Visual Studio at the Wellcome Centre in central London. Microsoft is demanding the full attention of a lot of journalists (possible as many as 60 all told) to outline the new products. Normally this is an opportunity for the press to quiz a company about the new products.. This event is definitely different for a couple of reasons. First the products are not really new as they have been heavily trailed and everyone who wishes has had a chance to see them in action, or at least have a taste. What it should be about now is the reality. The second reason is the minimum amount of chance the press have got to put their questions to Microsoft. Having just sat though the presentations the press had about five minutes to ask questions. We must wait to get them later. ZDNet.co.uk did manage to get in one question. Why did Microsoft announced not one or two virtualisation products but six? Is that not confusing for IT managers trying to grasp virtualisation.. There is one main product – Hyper-V the hypervisor – but six different strands depending on the type of virtualisation. Confusing with Profile Presentation, Management, Server, Desktop, and Application as the choices, Or you will have some or all perhaps. Microsoft’s general manager for servers and tools, Larry Orecklin was patient with what he no doubt thought was a naïve question. “The different types cover different situations,” he said. “You will want to do different things according to the situation.” At 5.45pm the second half of the day begins and it should hold other answers.