Leaner Longhorn Delays Microsoft Business Framework

Microsoft Business Framework

The Redmond, Wash., company said last week that the next major release of the Windows operating system, code-named Longhorn, would not contain the highly touted Windows File System when the OS is released in 2006. Microsoft in May said MBF, which is tied to WinFS, would ship with Longhorn.

The WinFS delay also pushes back the release of MBF. Microsoft says it will ship the desktop version of Longhorn in 2006, and the server version in 2007. No timeframe has been given for WinFS, other than a beta version will be available after Longhorn's 2006 release.

"The current plan of record is to ship MBF in the WinFS timeframe," a Microsoft spokesman said. "The team has looked at the possibility of shipping some code a little earlier, but they're not making any commitment about that."

The MBF delay is not expected to have a major impact on Windows developers, who can still build business applications for the platform, Tom Murphy, analyst for the Meta Group Inc., said. Developers, however, will have to continue writing code for basic functions, such as order entry and general ledger, which would become part of the operating system with MBF.

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"Developers would always like to have things sooner than later," Murphy said. "But on the other hand, they also want things that work."

The setback, however, does give companies selling software tools for the Java enterprise platform, Windows's biggest competitor, an opportunity to lure developers. Vendors on the Java side include IBM, Oracle Corp., BEA Systems Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc.

"Microsoft will have to eventually show momentum, and keep tighter to a timeline to move (the platform) forward," Murphy said.

For now, Microsoft still has an advantage because Windows developers remain highly productive on the company's tools, and are unlikely to switch to Java, unless Microsoft falls dramatically behind, Murphy said.

The latest delay for MBF is the second for the Windows programming layer that would sit on top of Microsoft's .Net framework. Microsoft had originally planned to ship the technology with Visual Studio 2005.

This story couretsy of TechWeb .