Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 18th May 2007 22:17 UTC
Some of the changes in the upcoming release of Windows Server 2008 are a response to features and performance advantages that have made Linux an attractive option to Microsoft customers. One of these is the fact that Linux has less of a surface area, which led customers to believe that Linux is inherently more secure, Bill Laing, the general manager for Microsoft's Windows Server division, told eWEEK. "Having less surface area does reduce the servicing and the amount of code you have running and exposed, so we have done a lot of work in 2008 to make the system more modular. There are more than 30 components not installed by default, which is a huge change," Laing said. "We also have server core, which doesn't have the GUI, so I would say that is a response to the options people had with Linux that they didn't have with Windows."
Permalink for comment 241601
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:
2006-01-10
All I can say is "About freakin' time!"
A Server with a GUI just adds one more layer to worry about for security and stability. Without the need for video drivers and all that other crap that loads with a server, they can be a lot more stable.
For example, since X and the kernel aren't integrated tightly like Windows is, there aren't all that many servers out that even have X installed. The only exceptions are application servers. This is the way it should be.
Of course I think part of this scheme is perhaps not for the best interest of the enterprise market, but more for Microsoft themselves. After all, all those MCSE certified people are going to have to retrain and take those Microsoft classes again to learn how to work without having a GUI.