The VAR Guy

A tiny but strategic Silicon Valley company is helping Microsoft to certify open source applications for Windows Server 2008. It’s a super-smart move by Microsoft, The VAR Guy believes, as the software giant strives to compete effectively with Linux and ensure Windows Server remains popular in the age of open source.

When Windows Vista shipped last year, Microsoft forgot to promote killer applications for the desktop operating system. Fortunately, the Windows Server 2008 team isn’t making the same mistake. In classic Microsoft fashion, the company has lined up big application providers to vow their support for the new operating system.

One of Microsoft’s key mistakes with Windows Vista was confusing customers with too many versions of the operating system (Ultimate, Home Premium, Home Basic, Business, Enterprise). Let’s hope Microsoft isn’t repeating that mistake with its newly announce Small Business Server 2008 offerings.

Yes, Sun is acquiring MySQL for $1 billion. But Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz isn’t done modernizing his company. Not by a long shot. The VAR Guy isn’t ready to predict which company Sun will acquire next, but he has noticed Schwartz getting pretty darn cozy with two fast-growing open source businesses.

The VAR Guy has made harsh comments about Windows Vista over the past year. But he has a far higher opinion of Microsoft’s server strategy. In fact, the imminent release of Windows Server 2008 is good news for just about everyone in the channel — even open source application developers. Here are five ways partners will likely cash in on Windows Server 2008 .