Microsoft has laid plans for a server version of Longhorn, the next release of Windows. But it remains unclear what the software will include and when it will debut. The software giant has said relatively little about Longhorn--the next desktop version of the Windows operating system--and even less about the server version. All Microsoft will confirm is that a server version is indeed back in the software maker's product plans. The desktop version of Longhorn has been described by company executives as revolutionary and even as a "bet the company" proposition. Microsoft will also link the shipment of new versions of Office, server software and many other products to Longhorn's debut.

Information about Longhorn's server counterpart, however, remains all but nonexistent. Analysts say it's not clear whether Longhorn Server will be a minor upgrade or a major new release. "If it is the latter, it could prove to be a fairly slow-to-sell OS, just as Windows 2000 (was) in the early days," said Dwight Davis, an analyst at Summit Strategies. Another potential problem: Just this April, Microsoft launched a new server version of Windows, the thrice-delayed Windows Server 2003. Even if Longhorn Server debuts in 2006, it is unclear how many companies will be willing to once again update their servers with an all-new Windows release.