First Public Beta Of Windows Server 'Longhorn' Available - Posted by Michael fomkin

Three months after the launch of Windows Vista consumer versions, the Redmond giant unveiled the first public beta of the next edition of Windows Server, code-named Longhorn.
 
Microsoft also announced that the final version will be launched in the second half of this year. "As they take it for a test drive, our customers and partners will find we made some vast improvements in Windows Server 'Longhorn' to help them reduce costs and adapt to changing business needs," said Bill Laing, general manager of the Windows Server Division at Microsoft. "Between early adopter customers and Microsoft IT, we have hundreds of servers running in production environments today. If there's one message we want to send today, it is get ready, download and evaluate."
 
The Beta 3 release of Windows Server "Longhorn" marks the beginning of the second wave of innovation to be delivered by Microsoft over the next year. Following on the heels of  launch of Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system are Windows Server "Longhorn" and the next versions of Visual Studio, code-named "Orcas," and Microsoft SQL Server(TM), code-named "Katmai." These products will provide organizations with an advanced development and Web platform as well as streamlined data management and analysis, enabling infrastructure optimization.