WinFS Removal Opens Window of Opportunity

WinFS Removal Opens Window of Opportunity "We do not believe that WinFS technology should be limited to a single operating system. Thus, taking WinFS out of Longhorn provides Microsoft with the opportunity to expand its technology so that file systems outside Windows can be pulled into its metadata network.
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For competitors Apple and Sun, Microsoft's decision to hold back WinFS also opens a giant window of opportunity. Armed with a three-to-four-year head start, Apple on "Tiger's" Spotlight feature and Sun on DFS (Dynamic File System), those companies could decisively influence the evolution of file systems and thereby the way nearly all applications and users store and access data. However, given that a true network file system can only be valuable with a wide range of interoperability, we also advise Apple and Sun to be open with their file system technologies and employ them to construct bridges to information on Linux and Windows clients."