New R2 Label Signals Minor Release

One of the biggest logistical challenges that Microsoft faces is managing the ongoing release schedule for its OS products. The large (and increasing) number of features in each version of the OS and more dependencies between the features makes it harder for product teams to coordinate the design, development, and testing of the dependent features so that they are all ready for release on a common and predictable release date.

For example, Microsoft was not able to complete all the planned features of Windows Server 2003 by the time the OS was released in Apr. 2003. In July 2003, three months after the release of the main server OS components, Microsoft released the Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM) feature pack. In Nov. 2003, seven months after the server release, the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) and Resultant Set of Policy (RSOP) feature pack was made available. It is hard for administrators to keep track of these random releases, and even though the feature packs are free, many organizations are unaware of them.