Windows Client Roadmap

Windows 2000 Professional leaves Mainstream support in Mar. 2005, but paid support will still be available for at least five years beyond that, according to current policies. A final update rollup, a selection of the most widely applicable security and reliability fixes, will ship for Windows 2000 around the time that it leaves Mainstream support. Microsoft has discontinued support for Windows XP on the IA-64 (Itanium) processor architecture, but support is still available through some PC manufacturers.

Longhorn is the next major Windows client release. Due in 2006, the Longhorn client release will deliver the Avalon graphics and printing system, the Indigo application-to-application messaging system, and the WinFX APIs needed to exploit both those systems. Versions of Avalon and Indigo will ship for Windows XP around that time in a “WinFX for Windows XP” feature pack or service pack (not yet officially named).

Avalon, Indigo, and WinFX all rely on the .NET Framework, a service analogous to the Java run-time system that manages running applications. Longhorn will be the first Windows client OS to integrate the .NET Framework, which is currently part of Windows Server 2003 but is an optional install for Windows XP.