ALERT: Microsoft Delays Windows Server 2003 SP1 to 2005

ALERT: Microsoft Delays Windows Server 2003 SP1 to 2005 "As expected, Microsoft today confirmed that Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) will be delayed until the first half of 2005. The schedule change comes in the wake of delays to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), which is now due in early August. Development of Windows Server 2003 SP1 can only happen in earnest once XP SP2 is complete, sources at Microsoft tell me.
"We now anticipate Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Windows Server 2003 for 64-bit Extended Systems will ship in the first half of 2005, whereas we previously estimated the release timing for both to be the end of 2004," a Microsoft representative told me. "Additionally, given Windows XP 64-bit for 64-bit Extended Systems is also tied to Windows Server 2003 SP1, it will also ship the first half of 2005. As is the case with all Microsoft product schedules, the development cycle is driven by quality with a focus on the needs of our customers, rather than an arbitrary date."
Windows Server 2003 SP1, like XP SP2, will include a number of security-oriented changes, such as a Security Configuration Wizard (SCW) that will use the roles-based infrastructure in Windows Server 2003 to automatically shut down unnecessary ports and services. The release will also include any relevant security changes from XP SP2, Microsoft tells me."

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