What Will Be Longhorn Server Named?

Everyone is guessing what the new name for Longhorn server will be. Microsoft has said that it won’t be Vista Server and that the official name will be announced at the time of Beta 3, which is expected in the first half of 2007.

Windows Server 2007 could be an obvious choice, but knowing Microsoft, if it is so obvious that people can guess it, they won’t like it. Microsoft’s marketing department likes things that are different. Actually, they prefer things to be dynamic. Their strategy has been to change their product names and logos as often as humanly possible. MCP logo is a perfect example. At one time they were changing the logo just about every year so no one (even the MCPs) could figure out which logo to use. And you can rest assured that the current MCP logos will change, just like the names for Microsoft certifications. And what about the Windows naming convention? Windows 2000 Server but Windows Server 2003? Okay, let’s not go there.

Based on the past history, one thing is for sure. Microsoft will drop the name “Windows” from its operating systems in the future. Obviously, Microsoft’s marketing folks are very smart. You don’t find Apple’s OS X on 90% of the computers in the world, do you? Needless to say, Microsoft’s marketing is good. I often like to say this about Microsoft’s marketing: “They can sell you dirt and not only will you buy it, you will like it.” Now that’s marketing!