* Sorting out the names and codenames of Microsoft’s Windows variants
I’ve been reading a lot about “Longhorn” and “Vista” recently, and I was getting more confused then ever. After announcing that “Vista” would be the official name of what had been codenamed “Longhorn” and would be the follow-on to Windows XP, I thought the “Longhorn” name had been dropped. But it kept cropping up. That’s because “Longhorn” is the codename for the next Windows server, the follow-on to Windows Server 2003.
Now I’d thought that after Windows 2000 Microsoft had announced that desktop and server operating system development would be split, and that the successor to Windows Server 2003 would be the operating system codenamed “Blackcomb.” I know I read that somewhere. Oh yes, I read it here:
The saga of Blackcomb and Longhorn continues
Follow along please.
In the beginning was Windows 3.1. It was for desktops, and it was good.
Then followed Windows 3.11. It was for workgroups. And it was good.
Then came Windows NT 3.5. It was for both desktops and servers. It wasn’t good, but was soon succeeded by Windows NT 3.51, and it was quite good – some of you are still running it.
Next was Windows NT 4 for both servers and desktops.
About this time came forth Windows 95. It was for desktops but primarily home user desktops. Power users were supposed to use Windows NT 4 Professional.
Have you got that straight? If not, go back and review because it’s going to get murky really fast.
In quick succession (well, “quick” as Redmond views it) Windows 98 and Windows ME came out. Both were desktop systems and both were best for home users. Business desktops were still supposed to be Windows NT 4.
So here’s the evolution for each user type:
Home desktop:
Windows 3.1
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows XP
Business desktop:
Windows NT 3.5
Windows NT 3.51
Windows NT 4
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Workgroup:
Windows 3.11
Windows NT 3.51
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Server:
Windows NT 3.5
Windows NT 3.51
Windows NT 4
Windows 2000
Windows Server 2003
Now Windows 2000 was supposed to be succeeded by Windows XP on both the desktop and the server. But that didn’t happen. XP was the desktop but Windows Server 2003 was the server. Microsoft also announced that the release of desktops and servers would be staggered to insure there would be little confusion.
Well, that didn’t take long to unravel, did it?
Here’s the bottom line. You’ll still be hearing about “Longhorn” even as the press is filled with stories about the Windows Vista beta. But the “Longhorn” that we’re talking about now is the next server operating system, not the desktop. At least most of the time. Except, of course, for those of us who are still confused.
