Services for UNIX, which you can find out about here, gives users of Microsoft Windows the tools and environment that IT professionals and developers need to integrate Windows with UNIX and Linux environments. Basically, its a kind of a "lure" for UNIX users to tempt them over to the MS side, by giving them the kinds of command line tools and utilities that they are used to in UNIX.

Up until now, the services had fairly moderate exposure in the IT world, but it looks like that is going to change.

"Microsoft is set to include its Services for Unix (SFU) add-on for Windows as an integral part of the next major release of the Windows server operating system, codenamed Longhorn and expected in 2008. Some analysts said the move could eventually sideline conventional Linux and Unix operating systems."

Sounds great! It definately seems in keeping with the Microsoft Shell (MSH) and other UNIX like stuff going into Longhorn.

The only thing I can't work out is exactly when Longhorn seems to be due. 2008? I thought it was 2006? Probably Microsoft themselves do not know. It will be released when its finished, basically.

You know what's happening with all of this SFU and MSH stuff... .Microsoft is trying to compete with Linux now - they are going to try to do to them what they did to Netscape and many others - to take over their market and eliminate them. I would not be surprised if Longhorn is more like Linux than we have ever imagined.

"The only thing I can't work out is exactly when Longhorn seems to be due. 2008? I thought it was 2006? Probably Microsoft themselves do not know. It will be released when its finished, basically."

...Or like all ther other software releases, pushed out the door before it's finished... ^_^

Stupid N00b, MS is for the weak, Linux for the Power Users...

Actually, a true poweruser integrates ALL facets of computing, distilling whats the strongest parts, into one unified whole.

You should know UNIX. You should know Windows. You should know hardware. You should know networking. Programming. Databases. Multimedia.

I can do ALL of these things. I won't pretend to know everything about all or even some of them, that's silly.

But to me, these things are all important. All computing is interesting to me. All computing is important.

That's it. Microsoft is going to use SCO technology to build an OS that does everything Windows currently does AND does all of this other stuff AND does what UNIX does as well.

Hehehe LOL good luck!

http://www.neowin.net/comments.php?id=22157&category=main#comment247994


How many security flaws do you think there will be in that whole lot? Maybe we will look back at IE and think it ran like a dream...

On the other hand, I think Longhorn may well be a really killer OS...

It seems that these days, all OSes are using ideas ripped from Unix. Take a look at Mac OS X Tiger (soon to be relaesed). It is based on BeOS, and has most of the features that Longhorn is supposed to bring to the table (minus the graphics system and .NET features). It leaves Windows XP looking a little tired, at least until Longhorn arrives. I too think Longhorn will be a killer OS, and way better than anything Microsoft has done before. It won't have everything its own way, but Linux will probably lose market share, maybe even to Mac OS X Tiger, which Apple are targeting at NT4 market. Nice.

One thing I do know is that because Microsoft has always been strong on the development side, and their tools are some of the very best. That may be enough to help them keep hold of their market position, though I believe they will eventually lose some market share to Apple. Linux on the other hand is not advancing quickly enough, so it will likely fade a little into the background. I can't see it ever being popular on the home desktop.

Yes, Longhorn should be good if they incorperate all of the things you mentioned. They just have to try to stay away from those extra "features". LOL

What woud we do without UNIX?

Relax. You don't think its going to be that good, do you?

No, we don't, master

Hmm... this sounds nice!

But I'm a bit worried about the DRM/Palladium aspect of Longhorn...
Anyone have any new information/status report on how that is coming along?
Because as it sounds now, I'm tempted to switch when it arrives, but I would prefer not to be hampered by a strict M$ controlled DRM system making it a hassle to run none MS programs...

And let's hope they've gotten over the stupid activation BS they did with XP. It only stops a very small minority of pirates, as most of them will get their hands on either a cracked version, or one with a corporate key.... and it's a big hassle for those who actually purchase the program.

If you've got a room big enough.

Maybe they should have given them a new name to distinguish the new ones from the older desk sized version :=).