Microsoft’s
Longhorn Refined
Depending
on one’s point of view, there is disappoint or a certain
heightened sense of opportunity in the air at the news of
Microsoft’s now official delay of its Longhorn version of
Windows, now not expected until late 2006 (client) and 2007
(server). The feature
set of the operating system has also been redefined, to help
insure even that belated entry date, with the removal of the new
and highly anticipated Windows File System (WinFS), now moved into
2007 or later.
Some
features of Longhorn have actually been extended to additional
platforms. Avalon
(the new presentation software) and Indigo (the set of .NET
communications and connection infrastructure built on web services
to provide secure, reliable, and transacted messaging and
interoperability) will now be supported on Windows XP and Windows
Server 2003, at about the time Longhorn itself ships.
Was
this the right thing to do? It’s
impossible to tell. Reaction
has been mixed.
-
There’s
disappointment from developers who needed features in Longhorn
to ship new versions of their software.
They’ll have to wait.
This is particularly frustrating for those who were
counting on WinFS. The wait is longer.
-
On
the other hand, the Avalon and Indigo audience will be
significantly larger, so some developers may find themselves
with a larger market sooner than expected.
-
Wintel
hardware vendors are worried.
With no new operating system from Microsoft over a
five-year period they’re pretty sure they’ll sell fewer
boxes. Bad news.
-
Some
have chosen to use this occasion to take pot shots at
Microsoft’s Chief Software Officer Bill Gates.
Gates is said to have spent a third of his time on
Longhorn and so some part of any blame must be his.
But perhaps it’s a sign of maturity to say that
something isn’t going to be ready as planned and not
shipping software before it’s ready is a good idea?
-
The
Linux vendors, on the other hand, are giddy. They see this as a two-year window of opportunity in which
they can try to expand their market share and enhance Linux
while Microsoft regroups.
I doubt that it will be quite that easy.
Of course Linux server sales are doing very well and
this may make them do even better.
On the other hand, for Linux desktops to soar, we need
more and more integrated software. We’ll only get that if developers decide that they should
move resources away from Microsoft and toward Linux. It’s too soon to tell if that will be a result of the
Longhorn rescheduling.
(back to top)
