Microsoft Announces .NET Server, VS .NET Beta 2

In his keynote speech at TechEd 2001, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates revealed two major announcements to attendees. Gates introduced the final beta of Visual Studio .NET, and stated that the moniker "Windows 2002" would not be the final product name for Whistler Server after all. Instead, he announced plans for Windows .NET Server, making clear the importance of the .NET strategy to Microsoft. Additionally, developers now have access to Microsoft's Mobile Internet Toolkit Beta 2, and UDDI developer edition.



Today's launch of Visual Studio .NET Beta 2 coincides with the tenth anniversary of Visual Basic, Microsoft's popular programming language. Visual Studio lays the foundation for the Microsoft .NET architecture of XML based services and applications. Visual Studio .NET and Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect introduce three significant new features: software modeling, database modeling, and development frameworks and templates.



Underscoring the importance of this release, Gates told the audience "Microsoft is committed to providing developers with the very best products and technologies for building XML Web services, positioning them to play a central role in shaping the future of computing and meeting customer needs."



In line with his comments on Web services, Gates noted the upcoming server editions of Windows would be dubbed "Windows .NET Server." Microsoft had announced in April that the company had chosen "Windows 2002", but admitted the name was not set in stone shortly thereafter. Redmond VP Jim Allchin told BetaNews at the time, "We have gotten very mixed feedback about 2002 from customers...I consider the name open right now."

In May, Senior Director of Windows Server Marketing, Mark Perry, told BetaNews, "Windows 2002 is an evolutionary product. We expect the marketplace of enterprise server customers will embrace the logic of naming-continuation, as the upcoming release of server family products is the evolutionary continuation of the Windows 2000 server family." Now, logic appears to have shifted toward the promotion of .NET.


In today's press release, Vice President of Windows .NET Server, Cliff Reeves, explains, "Windows .NET Servers uses XML Web services to expand the platform from a single PC to include federations of communicating clients, servers, smart devices and XML Web services. The inclusion of the .NET Framework in Windows .NET Servers shows the significance of the XML Web services strategy to Microsoft."


Software intended to extend the reach of .NET to mobile devices also reached a milestone today. Mobile Internet toolkit is available for download and supports over 20 wireless devices. In addition, a beta of UDDI Developer Edition, a business to business "yellow pages" registry was released to developers. Yesterday, the second release of the UDDI specification was made public.



Nate Mook contributed to this report.

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