Windows 2003 Server launch in Ireland
I was this afternoon at the launch of Windows 2003 and VS Net 2003 in
My feedback on this:
I like the venue (unfortunately I didn't won an Xbox or a PocketPC !), but I found the format of the presentations a bit messy.
To explain a little bit more, I would say that as usual, Microsoft said we are the best, we made mistakes in the past, but now believe us, nothing can't be better.
Better than what? The next release maybe Windows 2005 or Windows 2010.
I think this kind of approach start for me to be outdated. I am in this business since 1979, and guys, believe me, I was at so many company meetings, where the
speaker said we have the best product, nothing can be better than this.
And few months after, again the same speech.
The focus was mainly on security aspect of Windows 2003, and after that session, if you don't know that Windows 2003 is hyper secure, you must be deaf!
The Microsoft speaker (I don't remember his name) tried to convince everybody that Windows 2003 has really 600 new features. Yes ok, but why spending so much time on a long and quite boring enumeration of all of them, every time back to a kind of comparison table with the previous version?
Something new for me is they have videos about some companies in Ireland, having already setup Windows 2003 Server, and all in the same coice saying that Microsoft did a very good job on all aspect, and of course security.
Quite surprising, when you know the product is suppose to be new with not really a huge base and some missing service packs.
How can they be so sure about windows 2003 without any experience on it? I have usually some doubts on this kind of testimony,
But everybody was speaking too much, and not a lot of demos. I met there some guys I knew, and they were not so impressed by the launch.
It's a bit sad, because I believe that Microsoft did a lot with this new version.
I have it running since few weeks, and it's really good. The problem they will have in
migration. And I still know quite a lot of companies running with Windows NT4.
So it's going to be at least one year, and surely two years, before we can see here a significant market for Windows 2003, just before Microsoft announce something new !
They also mention SQL Server Enterprise 64 bits, but no more explanation that it's better! VSNet 2003 was pushed at the end of the speech, and I understand that, because the public was more business people, rather than developers.
The Managing Director of HP Ireland was also there, and it's quite amazing how fast they can forget Compaq. He was proud to talk about 20 years of collaboration with Microsoft, indeed it was more Compaq than HP. He also mentioned the best server and most installed one in
So now that's the way it works. To grow, you just buy bigger than you, you get all their credits, and roll on!
We have the same with Eircell, a successful mobile phone company, eaten by Vodafone recently.
And you can now see the ads with Vodafone claiming that they have a long history of communications in