Windows 7 Server gets its day
Microsoft Vice President Bill Laing talks about the server version of Windows 7, dwarfed by servers from Hewlett-Packard and IBM.
(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET Networks)LOS ANGELES--After two weeks of focus on the desktop version of Windows 7, it's server counterpart finally got a day in the sun.
Vice President Bill Laing began on Thursday pointed out the obvious difference between the products that would use the server software, as compared to Netbooks and other PCs built on Windows 7.
"We actually use forklift devices to bring our toys," he said, pointing to several refrigerator-size servers that were on stage with him.
Laing traced the company's progress in developing its various server operating systems, which now span from its Windows Home Server product to the data center and high-performance computing versions of Windows Server 2008.
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 is now in technical beta, he said.
Next week, the company plans to launch the small and midsize business versions of its server products--Windows Small Business Server 2008 (formerly code-named Cougar) and Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (formerly code-named Centro).
But the main focus was on the server version of Windows 7, known as Windows Server 2008 R2. It's noteworthy because, on the server side, Microsoft is characterizing Windows 7 as a minor release, while the desktop Windows 7 is being called a major release--albeit one with fewer low-level changes than came with Vista.
As for Windows Server 2008 R2, Laing confirmed its statement that it will be 64-bit only.
Other features include support for more processors--256 compared to 64 in Windows Server 2008--as well as live migration and the next version of its PowerShell scripting language. Live migration was a feature originally planned for the first release of Windows Server 2008, but the plan was scrapped as Microsoft aimed to get the product out the door.
WinHEC attendees received a prebeta version of the new server operating system alongside their copy of desktop Windows 7. Microsoft said on its server blog that the prebeta is available only to those at WinHEC or the TechEd EMEA conference, while everyone else will have to wait until the beta is released early next year.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
There IS NO BLOATED CODE in Vista. All the bloat: coming from "DRIVERS, DRIVERS, THOSE NASTY BLEEPING DRI-VERS!" (sings the stuff in quotes)
That is the ONLY place where Vista is bloated, and I cannot really blame Microsoft for that, considering the freaking hardware makers have to have 10 different drivers for the SAME PIECE OF HARDWARE, different revisions.
- by goodspeed8701 November 6, 2008 9:39 PM PST
- If M$ should come with the own computer hardware. i mean microsoft pc them i wont even wait for it to be released. I will make order for it once its anounced.
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- by markedman0965 November 7, 2008 10:26 AM PST
- Please tell me that English is not your first language. It was painful reading it.
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(7 Comments)Vista is M$ greatest os but too much people who know nothing about pc is the problem about vista.
i have 1g ram, centrino duo 1.76ghz 1.76ghz . Vista runs like charm and i upgraded from xp. the thing is that vista is faster once you met the requirement. Windows 7 will kill anything called OS.
my friend run it on 512 and 1.5ghz it runs pretty. at the end people dont want to get a good pc. they want a game to make them upgrade but not OS and they also think they can run their old mother board for long. Well vista is great to bash it cos you can buy a good system with good specs.