What About Yukon?

Microsoft Group Vice President Jim Allchin verified the timeline for Longhorn, the next version of Windows, during his keynote address at Windows Server DevCon on September 6 in Seattle. Allchin said that Microsoft will deliver the far-reaching Windows version in desktop and server editions in 2005.

But Longhorn can't happen until the SQL Server-based file system work is ready. Microsoft is developing that technology as part of Yukon, the next major SQL Server release, which Allchin said is due in late 2003 or early 2004 (actually, he said "fiscal 2004," which runs from July 1, 2003, until June 30, 2004).

Again, given the company's history, I think the first half of 2004 is probably a more reasonable estimate. Microsoft will use the Yukon technology to unify its many storage schemes, including the aforementioned Windows file system, Active Directory (AD), Exchange 2000 Server, and, of course, its many database products. Expect a Yukon beta in early 2003.