Posts Tagged ‘Windows Server 7’

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

No additional words needed. Windows 7. Period. Today is THE day. This blog post is going to be updated with links to all of the images and good write-ups that are done today in regards to Windows, user experience, etc.. I’m sitting in the keynote right now waiting for Steve Sinofsky to come out and strt showing off all of the latest features of Windows 7. Today should be a most excellent day. =)

Please do yourself a favor and visit all the links below. Paul Thurrott and Tom Warren both have EXCELLENT content up full of screenshots, I believe some video, and lots of information on what you’re looking at in the screenshots. They were two attendees of the “Windows 7 Workshop;” an all day workshop that was presented to a select group of individuals on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the internet connection in here sucks where I am (in the keynote), so I won’t be blogging as much as I want to. I can’t get into my flickr page in here… bleh. Anyway, here’s one screenshot I could link to at the moment. I’ll be updating this post, so keep posted!

Paul Thurrott’s Site: WinSupersite
Tom Warren’s Review: @ Neowin

Much, much more to come over the course of the day, so keep up with this post!

-Stephen

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

While the information floodgates certainly haven’t been opened on Windows 7 by Microsoft yet, it seems they’re allowing for at least a trickle. In addition to my posts regarding the updated WSPP documentation to include Windows 7 and Microsoft’s Update Catalog listing drivers available for Windows 7, Microsoft appears to be adding Windows 7 content to the MSDN Library. The fact that Microsoft seems to be slowly but surely allowing information to seep through is exciting but I’ve already noticed something that may be of particular interest to developers.

As written in the “requirements” section on the “GetUrlCacheConfigInfo Function” page (which I link to as a reference at the end of this post):

It appears that anyone who is familiar with the Winineti.h header in the GetUrlCacheConfigInfo Function will need to make a slight change to their code in Windows 7 Client and Server. While that certainly isn’t a big deal in and of itself, it looks like Microsoft is hard at work with changing things up for developers (by natural process of development, of course; not intentionally to just change things for developers). To what extent things are going to change is anyone’s guess at this point, but if you’re interested in developing for Windows 7, I would start paying close attention to the MSDN Library from here on out and try to get a hold of any Windows 7 bits I could to start fiddling around with. Such actions may help aid in lessening any learning curves present by the time Windows 7 goes gold.

Reference: INTERNET_CACHE_CONFIG_INFO Structure | GetUrlCacheConfigInfo Function

-Stephen

Keep the following in mind: “7” was previously “Vienna”, “Vienna” was previously “Blackcomb”.

As you know, Microsoft recently decided to make everyone feel stupid for assuming Windows Server “7” was ever anything BUT the codename for Windows Server 2008 R2. If that’s true, then see the title to this blog entry. Up until Microsoft stated otherwise, the community’s assumption of the two being separate entities was perfectly pieced together through Microsoft’s minor/major release cycle in conjunction with a mash-up of official Windows Server presentations along the way. Being the net gopher that I am, I decided to dig up anything I could find in regards to Windows Server 2008 R2 being mentioned as a separate entity from Windows Server 7 in the same document, straight from Microsoft. Well, I finally struck gold. This discovery should make folks like MJ Foley, who felt the two were not *always* planned to be one in the same as was so confusingly-yet-authoritatively asserted by Microsoft, quite happy.

Well, there it is; “WS08 R2” (Windows Server 2008 R2) mentioned as an updated release and “Vienna” (again, formerly known as “Blackcomb,” now known as “7”) mentioned as a major release. Now, either a Microsoft employee privy to such information didn’t understand (just like most of us, apparently) that “Vienna” and Windows Server 2008 R2 were actually one in the same, or somewhere along the way, Microsoft decided to change it up. If the latter is the case, then the question is, “why?”

Is it possible that codename “Vienna” was – and still exists internally as – the codename for the next major server release as indicated by the first slide I posted above? A drastic and highly unlikely conclusion, I’m sure, but just a little observation to throw in, none-the-less.

Anyway, my bets are on Microsoft changing it up and if “Blackcomb” = “Vienna” = “7” across the board (meaning, those codenames were always designated for both client AND server), then “Blackcomb” = Windows Server 2008 R2. If that’s the case, then we may have an indication of Windows Server 2008 R2 being planned to be as significant to the server line as XP SP2 was for client. Since bits and pieces of the original “Blackcomb” vision have already come to see the light of day, does that mean “Blackcomb” will be fully realized in Windows Server 2008 R2, thus the desire to codename it, “Windows Server 7”? Regardless of what it means, I am now more curious than ever as to why they gave an update release a codename that was once clearly designated for a major release, and at that, why they’re downplaying the confusion of the community by saying, “we don’t know what you all are talking about, because it was always planned like this…”

Microsoft: Your confusion. Our laughter.

-Stephen

First of all, a GINORMOUS “THANK YOU!” to Mary Jo Foley for bringing to my attention and piquing my interest in regards to Microsoft’s recent announcement that Windows 7 Server is (and always has been, apparently) synonymous with Windows Server 2008 R2. If not for her, I probably would’ve simply forgotten about the following information for much longer than I already have. lol. Anyway, thanks, MJ! You da (wo)MAN! =)

First thing’s first: If you haven’t heard, Microsoft managed to thoroughly confuse the crap out of much of the community by dropping one of their infamous ambiguity bombs: Windows Server 2008 R2 (slated for a 2010 release) = Windows 7 Server.

Derrrrr, HUH!?

Allllrighty, then! So, those of us who have been adhering closely to Microsoft’s release cycle up to this point by assuming (comfortably, I might add) Windows Server 2008 R2 would come well-before Windows 7 Server were basically dropped off in the land of “wtfville”. Interesting place, this “wtfville!” What’s there to potentially learn here in “wtfville?” Let’s find out, shall we? Yes, we shall.

For your reference, here is a slide dated November, 2007 that I’ve had for way too long to not have done anything with it by now, but perhaps that’s best since it may provide some sort of clarity to Microsoft’s recent statement. This does make Microsoft’s seemingly odd statement mesh (Full resolution image at the click of a mouse!):

Interesting slides here in “wtfville.” Let’s recap:

Windows Server “7″: 2011
Windows Server “8″: 2013
Windows Server “9″: 2015

DRAMA!

If Windows 7 Server really is Windows Server 2008 R2, then does that roadmap imply the following?

Windows Server “7″ = Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server “8″ = Windows Server 2013
Windows Server “9″ = Windows Server 2013 R2

I assume they’re just going to treat every minor and major update for the next 7 years or so not as they have up to this point, but rather in their newly-adorned numerical codename format. The question from there is how does Microsoft then plan on publicly referencing those server releases? By their ambiguous numerical codenames or as is assumed by me above… or better yet, in some kind of top-secret ninja format where one must DIE if they ever found out! (Any takers that Sinofsky would go for the extreme latter if he could? hehehe)

Let’s make this even MORE confusing by tweaking that roadmap to fit their latest projected year of release for Windows 7 Server (aka Windows Server 2008 R2, mind you) in the following January 2008 server roadmap (Confucious say: “Clicky-clicky for full resolution image.” Long Zheng say: “I don’t talk like that, Stephen. Prepare to die, Stephen.”):

Windows Server “7″: 2010
Windows Server “8″: 2012
Windows Server “9″: 2014

Then, we would have:

Windows Server “7″ = Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server “8″ = Windows Server 2012
Windows Server “9″ = Windows Server 2014 R2

Actually, let’s get even MORE wacky in “wtfville” by referencing the following slide out of a February 2008 presentation which tentatively places Windows Server 2008 R2 in a 2009 release slot (You know what to do for a full resolution image… I hope):

Hmm, “Windows 2012 Server” DOES have a nice ring to it, now that I think about it! Anyway, Microsoft’s release cycle of 2 years between minor releases and 4 years between major releases still seems to apply regardless of which slide we reference above. Don’t forget that the exact date of release may fall on what appears to be the 1st, 3rd or even 5th year due to a number of factors, such as whether they go by the calendar year, their fiscal year, etc. Basically, what I’m taking away from this is that Microsoft has decided to go with a numerically sequential codename standard. Man, if Microsoft was superstitious, imagine the confusion and mass chaos to ensue when they got to Windows 2013 Server or Windows Server “13″! …oh yeah, I forgot… they ARE superstitious. *cough, cough* OFFICE 14 *cough, cough*

Well, “wtfville,” it’s been real and it’s been fun but it hasn’t been real fun, if you know what I mean! And now, let’s see what MJ’s take on all of this is. GO!

-Steve-O

PS – Yes, I realize I used “Windows Server ’7′” and “Windows 7 Server” interchangeably, but so does Microsoft, so, PUH! =)

Oh, and Rafael Rivera Jr. say:

UPDATE: Supposedly, this really was all just a matter of Windows 7 Server being the internal codename for what will be Windows Server 2008 R2 but MJ doesn’t buy it.