Vista Server?

Now that Windows Vista is done (and is already being pirated and cracked), Windows watchers' thoughts are turning to Longhorn Server. So it's fair to ask what the final name of Microsoft's successor to Windows Server 2003 will be.

When Microsoft announced that Vista would be the final name of the Windows client release (formerly code-named "Longhorn") officials were quick to caution that no one should assume that the complementary server software would be known as "Vista Server."

In fact, I thought Microsoft had said (fairly) definitively to expect Longhorn Server to follow the Windows Server 20XX naming convention. Indeed, just last week, I saw a reference to Longhorn Server as "Windows Server 2008" -- not too surprising, given that the product is due to ship (bar slips) in the latter half of 2007.

But then on Friday, I noticed a blog entry from Softie Doron Holan, the Technical Lead for Kernel Mode Driver Framework (KMDF). On November 10, Holan blogged:

"Well, 5 long years later, Vista is out the door. Barely time to breath(e) and enjoy it though, Vista Server work is already underway...."

(And it looks like it's not the first time Microsoft has made the "Vista Server" slip-up, which officials sort-of/kind-of denied.)

As those who follow Microsoft know, Microsoft's marketing mavens reserve the right to change (and change again) the naming conventions on any and all products.

But how about it, guys? Give us the official name going to be of the product to which we currently refer as "Longhorn Server."