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."
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2007-02-11
I agree, and I still can't believe my own eyes; let's just hope it doesn't go the Vista way -- tons of features announced and none that make it in the final version.
The rest of the article is common Microsoft advertising, but this doesn't make the news go away. There's one thing that made me laugh though:
Asked if Windows was lagging behind Linux on the virtualization front, McDonald said: "I can't think of a time when anybody in production with a lot of virtualization has said to me that Linux is better than Windows in this regard."
Ugh, go away...
Member since:2005-07-10
Asked if Windows was lagging behind Linux on the virtualization front, McDonald said: "I can't think of a time when anybody in production with a lot of virtualization has said to me that Linux is better than Windows in this regard."
Ugh, go away...
On the high end market - VMWare with their ESX offering are far ahead of MS and XEN.
On the lower end of market, VMWare free server, workstation, Microsoft Virtual server and Microsoft Virtual PC compete.
Linux so far has not offered a competing solution with high reliablity or managability. But that is changing really fast.
KVM is coming up nice to compete in the lower end market and XEN needs more adoption and better management tools and it should be able compete on the higher end market (with ESX and yet to come MS product viridian).
Edited 2007-05-19 03:13
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.
Member since:2007-03-30
Member since:2005-07-06
It is good to see Microsoft finally realizing that they need a lean and mean OS for server platform. I love the idea of server core with no GUI or other crap installed.
Actually, that's not what it is. It still runs a graphical, Windows environment, except that most of the GUI tools are unavailable except for a CMD window. Not exactly the same thing.
Edited 2007-05-18 23:27
Member since:2006-12-15
Member since:2005-11-10
I think MS is full of BS and actually is making noise to get the attention of the US government to make changes to the patent laws so they wont get sued for billions.
Unlike FOSS, MS is big game. Everyone shoots at MS. They got so much money you bound to win something!
Member since:2006-01-07
Read on and decide for yourself what is good and what's not:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2127213,00.asp
Member since:
2005-07-10
It is good to see Microsoft finally realizing that they need a lean and mean OS for server platform. I love the idea of server core with no GUI or other crap installed.
Looks like Windows 2008 server is turning up nice.