Microsoft's Total Naming Confusion
Microsoft's next round of products have names that follow no known patterns in the universe. I'm taking about Windows 8, IE 10, "Office 15' and "SharePoint 15." How did all these unshipped products come by these names?
In the case of Windows, it went through this short list; Win 1, 2 3, then 95, 98, XP, Vista, 7 and soon 8 (with a little Windows ME tossed in for good measure). Makes less sense than a Foster Broks dinner speech.
Office went through Office 1, then 3, 4, 95, 97, 2000, XP, 2007, 2010, and now goes to a code-name number that seems higher than the number of released editions.
SharePoint was SiteServer, then OfficeServer, SharePoint Portal Server 2001, SharePoint 2.0/2003, SharePoint 3.0/2007 and SharePoint 2010. Now Microsoft is somehow leaping to SharePoint 15. Meanwhile Groove somehow got renamed SharePoint Workspace -- though I'm not sure how many really noticed.
This is all really a bit of a digression. I came here to tell you when you might expect to actually see Windows 8, IE 10, Office 15 and SharePoint 15.
As usual, we count on Mary Jo Foley, who writes the back column for Redmond magazine.
I competed against Mary Jo when she worked for what was then PCWeek and I was at ComputerWorld and then InfoWorld. These were the golden days when all software execs, no matter where they ranked in the Forbes 400, were accessible. And most all spoke their mind freely, especially about their competitors! Mary Jo was great then and she's great now.
Anyway, Foley is on the trail of ship dates. Here's what she surmises:
All the 15s (Exchange 15, Office 15, SharePoint 15, Visio 15, and Project 15) look likely to arrive early next year.
IE 10 has a broad ship range, anywhere from two months from now 'til early 2013.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/18/2012 at 1:19 PM