Anyone tried out MS Server 2008 yet?

[Mithrandir]

Anyone used the MS Server 2008 beta yet?
Is it basically Vista with some additional features?

[ikonia]

vista is a desktop OS........

[Splash]

I have a beta copy, not installed yet.

[shaithis]

vista is a desktop OS........

Doesn't mean a lot. NT server and Workstation were 99%+ the same, as were 2000 Pro and Server.

I expect it to be either based on Vista or a continuation of 2003.

[TiG]

NT and 2000 are both server OS's tho. Vista is a desktop OS.

What ikonia is trying to say is you base Server OS's on Server kernels. Not the other way around.

Win 2003 vs XP is a good way of looking at it.

The server grade OS's SHOULD not have pretty graphics, huge memory hungry OS's that take things away from the applications.

You think desktop machines are bad for driver support, in my industry there is pretty much 0 support for 64bit drivers for telephony cards etc.

So i hope they lose the idea of Vista being lovely and pretty for the server version....

TiG

[Funkstar]

NT and 2K were server OSs that had workstation versions, not desktop.

Win2K3 is not XP with bells on, it is significantly different.

I guess 2K8 will be a continuation of 2K3, perhaps with some Vista technologies in there as well, but ther is a lot that would not be desirable for a server OS.

[Mithrandir]

Isn't WinXP64 based on Win 2003 rather than XP?

I find XP64 a very good platform. Generally stable and mostly good support although no DVB drivers for my USB freeview.

I downloaded Server 2008 too, but not run it yet. Will I be able to run it as a desktop system (like Vista)?

[Funkstar]

You might have problems with some software and drivers not wanting to install on a server OS.

Anti-Virus and Firewall apps especially as they will want you to buy the server versions. Same goes for most system utilities i think.

Office etc should be fine.

[directhex]

Will I be able to run it as a desktop system (like Vista)?

maybe. but performance will be worse than with vista, and they won't include a number of services like audio support, or the new gui.

in fact, 2k8 is where they have a "core" version with no gui at all

[this_is_gav]

Isn't WinXP64 based on Win 2003 rather than XP?

Yup.

Aero could work on a server OS, as all the overhead is done on the graphics card. OK, it's never going to happen, and the overhead is likely to be so small over Classic that it's never going to be worth it, but still, Aero on a server OS wouldn't be a problem at all - it would be a good thing.

[Splash]

Will I be able to run it as a desktop system (like Vista)?

Why would you want to?

[Mithrandir]

Why would you want to?

Just so I could familiarise myself with the Vista interface/environment

[ikonia]

but we;ve just discussed that Vista is a desktop OS and that the server OS is a completly different product.

[madman045]

Got the web server edition installed in vmware at the mo.

Has a vista style interface.

Also reading on one of the MS forums about installing drivers, done by command line...

I'm about to try it on another pc...

[Splash]

Just so I could familiarise myself with the Vista interface/environment

I'm puzzled as to why you'd use a beta server OS to familiarise yourself with the interface of a released desktop OS? I'm not trying to be awkward, just struggling to understand your logic!

[ikonia]

think outside the box splash........


its got me confused too.