Microsoft announced on Tuesday that Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 will be introduced simultaneously in Los Angeles on February 27, 2008. The code for the Windows Server 2008 product is still on track to be finished by the end of 2007, but not all products will be ready to ship by the February 27 date. SQL Server 2008 will not be released to users until mid-2008. Microsoft has not committed to anything for SQL Server 2008 other than a plan to release it during the 2008 fiscal year, which ends June 30. Visual Studio will ship in 2008 without an entity framework, which will ship independently after Visual Studio 2008 has been released. At the Worldwide Partner Conference, CEO Steve Ballmer indicated a renewed focus on software as a service in the coming year, as well as improved partner support strategies designed to boost sales.

Vista SP1 In The Works?

Reportedly, Microsoft is also readying a beta version of Service Pack 1 for Vista which will be focused on bug fixes, to ship in mid-July, possibly as early as July 16. The final version of SP1 isn't scheduled to be delivered until November and Microsoft has neither confirmed nor denied the rumors.

Microsoft Streaming Record

Over the weekend, Microsoft claimed to have set a record for viewership for a streamed online event during the Live Earth concerts which originated from London and nine other locations worldwide. According to Microsoft, 8 million viewers tuned in to some portion of the conference, and at one point, the company was delivering 237,000 simultaneous streams. The concerts took place over 36 hours. Microsoft bases its claim on the Live 8 concerts streamed by AOL in 2005 which attracted about 5 million viewers.