News

Microsoft Names Whistler Server Windows 2002

• By Scott Bekker
• 04/30/2001

Microsoft Corp. has settled on a name for its next generation of server operating systems, the company announced Monday at a Gartner Group conference in Los Angeles.

Microsoft will continue with the annual designation names for the server products, following in the tradition minted last year with Windows 2000.

The server products formerly shared the Whistler code name with the next generation of client operating systems. In February, Microsoft renamed the desktop operating systems Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional.

In addition to naming the operating systems separately, Microsoft will ship them on different timetables. Windows XP is supposed to ship sometime this year. Windows 2002 will ship a few months later.

Microsoft officials said Monday that the server products will ship a few months after the client versions, but are still planned for the second half of 2001.

Other Microsoft officials have stated publicly that server versions aren't likely to arrive until the first quarter of 2002. And the choice for a name confirms that the beta server OS formerly known by the codename Whistler isn’t likely to ship until next year. Windows 2002 is currently in the beta 2 phase of testing. Also, recent reports indicate that the Windows XP release date may be slipping.

Microsoft plans at least one more beta cycle before releasing the Windows 2002 Server code to manufacturing. – Scott Bekker and Stephen Swoyer

See ENT’s Special Report on Windows 2002 Beta 2:
Windows 2002 Takes Shape With Beta 2
IIS Architecture Overhauled for Reliability in 6.0
Microsoft Looking to Shift Its Server Mix With Windows 2002
Beta 2 Distribution on a Much Bigger Scale Than Beta 1
Column: Don't Lose Sleep over Windows XP
ENT's Coverage of Microsoft's Beta 1 Release of Whistler