Posts Tagged ‘Windows 8 Server’
From Windows 7 Server to Windows 7 Server (You read that right…)
(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)
Being a firm believer of following through and in an effort to once and for all clear the air with the whole “Windows 7 Server was always planned to be Windows Server 2008 R2,” I’ve decided to cook up a timeline of screenshots in chronological order from presentations found right on Microsoft’s servers. This basically shows the shift in timing where Windows 7 Server went from being planned as a major release to an update release (or R2, if you will). A few of these shots are new and a couple of them are already being used in a couple of previous Windows 7 Server posts of mine. If you’re a fairly new reader and haven’t seen those previous posts, then get up out of your chair, stand in it, and (very carefully) proceed to jump up ‘n down for joy while saying, “sinOFsky!” as if you’ve sneezed until someone says “gesundheit!” and asks you why you’re jumping up ‘n down. Show them my site and tell them to spread the word using the exact same method above. hehehe. Anyway, check it out:
What Was: Windows Server 2008 (Codename Longhorn Server) -> Windows Server 2008 R2 (Codename Longhorn Server R2) -> Codename Windows Blackcomb Server (Blackcomb became Vienna and Vienna became 7, so it was thought Windows 7 Server would indeed be what was to be Windows Blackcomb Server)
What Is: Windows Server 2008 (Codename Longhorn Server) -> Windows Server 2008 R2 (Codename: Windows 7 Server) -> Codename Windows 8 Server
2004 – 2005 (Windows Blackcomb Server): In presentations related to Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2, these roadmaps had Blackcomb Server coming after Longhorn R2. (Codename Longhorn Server became Windows Server 2008, so, Longhorn R2 would have been Windows Server 2008 R2 by these roadmaps).
2006 – Part of 2007 (Windows Vienna Server): In this release cycle/roadmap, Windows Server 2008 R2 is no longer defined as its codename (Longhorn Server) and is absolutely differentiated from Vienna Server (which was previously codenamed Blackcomb).

Part of 2007 – Present (Windows 8 Server): As we see here, the shift was made back in 2007 where the codename for Windows Server 2008 R2 becomes Windows Server 7 and officially breaks off from the traditional codename relationship between client and server and aligns both the major and minor server releases with the client release cycle.
If you think about it, this shift makes sense. With major client releases scheduled to happen alongside both major and minor server releases, the codenames for both server and client will constantly be one in the same. So, basically, instead of them working on Windows 7 Client and Windows Longhorn Server R2 (with the next server codename being Windows 7 Server), they’re now working on Windows 7 Client and Server. When they release both, if Sinofsky (aka Anti-Codename Guy) is still running the Windows show, then we’ll have Windows 8 Client and Server and so on and so forth.
While the stereotypical apologetic view of “well, things change internally” certainly applies, as was the case in my previous related posts, my main point is to show even furthermore why many people around the community were quite confused when it was announced that “Windows 7 Server” was in fact scheduled to be an updated server release as opposed to a major release (which, as you can see by the timeline above, we all weren’t crazy for thinking as such).
To all who cared, there ya go. To everyone who thinks this is pointless, I probably would, too, if I were you, so… lol. Until next time…
-Stephen







