Hi, my name is Mary Jo Foley. I'm the editor of the ZDNet"All About Microsoft" blog, and I'm here today to talk aboutsomething that Microsoft doesn't like me to talk about, but that my readers askme about a lot, and that is the Windows Road Map.
Let's start with the Windows Client. On the Windows Clientside of the house, here's what we've seen and here's what's coming. Windows XPcame out in 2001. Windows XP SP2 -- which is, despite its name, not really aservice pack, but an actual full release of Windows -- came out in 2004.Windows Vista came out in 2007, this year. We believe the next release ofWindows that's coming is Windows 7, in 2009; and following that, probablyWindows eight in 2011, if Microsoft can get back on schedule.
On the Windows Server side of the house, things were alittle more on track. Microsoft delivered, in 2003, Windows Server 2003 - notsurprising, given the name. In 2005, Microsoft rolled out Windows Server 2003R2 -- R2 is release two. At the end of this year or early next, we're going tosee Windows Server 2008, the next version of Windows Server, also known asLonghorn Server. And sometime around 2010 or 2011, we're expecting Microsoft todeliver whatever it's going to be called: Windows Server Next is how we referto it right now.
There are a few things that aren't on this Road Map that I'dlike to tell you about as well. These are things Microsoft won't talk about atall, but we're doing our best to talk about them as much as possible: VistaService Pack 1, a product that may or may not exist, depending on who youbelieve at Microsoft. We think Windows Vista Service Pack one is going to comeout at the end of this year, around 2007, maybe early 2008. Fiji, which webelieve is the release of Media Center that's going to be a standalone updateto Windows Vista, also is due around 2007 or 2008.
A product I get asked about pretty much daily, XP SP3, thenext major service pack for Windows XP, originally was supposed to come outaround 2005. Then, it was 2006. Then we heard 2007. The latest date we've gotfor this now is 2008, and if it does come out then, many people will besurprised, as a number of people have expected that Microsoft's going to cancelthat product altogether.
Microsoft's goal is basically to try to get Windows back ontrack. The way they want Windows to work is a minor release, a major release, aminor release, a major release. They're going to try to alternate these everytwo years, so that every four years, there'll be a new major release of WindowsClient and Windows Server. They're not even trying to synch the two products upat this point. All they're trying to do is get them back on track. And that'sthe goal right now at Microsoft: to get back to the original Windows Road Map.
