An Overview of Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 is the operating system that replaced W2K3 (Server 2003). My aim with this article is to give you an overview of the look and feel of this platform in preparation for the coming of Microsoft's Windows Server 8 operating system.

If you are more interested in an itemized list than an overview, see here.

Remember that Windows Server 2008 is a Microsoft server, therefore you are going to recognize features from W2K3. You may also see tiny bits of NT 3.5, NT 4.0 and Windows Server 2000. And you may also recall that when new when each of those old servers had a front-end makeover, so it waswith Windows Server 2008, which sported Microsoft's latest GUI of the time.

Although Windows Server 2008 reported to be Version 6.0 (Windows Server 2003 R2 is 5.2), the progression seemed more like the evolution from W2K to W2K3 than the revolution from NT 4.0 to W2K. In addition to  headlining new features such as Hyper-V, what we got was  lots of small changes, each relatively insignificant in itself, but together adding up to make Windows Server 2008 an impressive product for Microsoft to build on with Windows Server 8.

It is also true to say that 2008/9 was make or break time for Microsoft. Either Windows Server and, originally, Vista (now Windows 7) would work together to fuel networks or else Microsoft could have crashed and burned.

Beware of the 'Horseless Carriage Syndrome'

If I could digress for minute, I would like to take you back a hundred years to a time when the stagecoach was being replaced by the motorcar. At first, the car driver was seated outside the chassis. This was simply because, on the old stagecoach, that is where he had always been positioned. Indeed, an obvious nickname for the new invention was"The Horseless Carriage."

Then, one bright developer and said, "Why don't we put the driver inside with the passengers?"  From this inspired novel feature, the horseless carriage was transformed into the car.

However, die-hard stagecoach men refused to drive from the inside and the horseless carriage syndrome was born. Every new computer product creates fresh victims who are affected by this syndrome. Now that I have altered you to the 'horseless carriage' condition, everywhere you look you will see people who just want to carry on with the old ways, instead of adapting to the latest technology.

Examples of the Horseless Carriage Syndrome with Windows Server 2008

• People who insisted on re-instating the 'Run' command instead of using the new 'Search' dialog box.
• Those who turned off the new security feature - UAC (User account control).
• Microsoft even pandered to those who won't embrace change by having 'Classic View' link in the control panel. And I know 80% of people will click that link it!
• The most extreme case is my friend "Mad" Mick who continued to use Edlin as his text editor.