Windows .NET Server Delayed

Microsoft will push back the release of the next version of Windows—Windows .NET Server—until the end of 2002. Originally code-named Whistler and scheduled for simultaneous availability with Windows XP, Windows .NET Server is the follow-on product to Windows 2000 Server and will be the first shipping version of Windows to bundle the .NET development platform. Microsoft hints the delay is due to increased security vigilance, but other development issues could be to blame. The impact of the delay will be greatest on Microsoft and its partners, who are counting on this release to drive server upgrades and wider adoption of technologies such as Active Directory (AD), .NET-based applications, and Web services.

Delay Blamed on Security Push

The primary reason Microsoft gives for the delay is its current focus on “Trustworthy Computing,” including a one-month development moratorium while Windows program managers, developers, and testers reviewed the current code base and their development practices. (For more information, see “Gates Puts Focus on Trustworthy Computing” on page 10 of the Feb. 2002 Update and “Security Coding Halt, New Hires” on page 6 of the Mar. 2002 Update.)