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.