Microsoft is seeking to expand the market for its flagship computer-server software with a new version of Windows Server aimed at companies with 15 or fewer users. Windows Server 2008 Foundation, as it's known, will be available preinstalled on servers from hardware makers in 40 countries, according to the announcement this morning.
Individual computer makers will set the final prices, but Microsoft says the "modest cost" of the operating system is designed to make it more accessible to small businesses. Dell, HP and IBM are among the hardware makers that will offer WIndows Server Foundation initially, the company says.
The announcement wasn't a surprise, having been foreshadowed by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in a recent discussion with analysts.
As reported by Ben Romano of the Seattle Times, the shift reflects the declining price of server hardware, with Ballmer acknowledging to analysts that the operating system was accounting for too much of the total price in some cases. Ina Fried of CNet News.com notes that Ballmer likened the move to offering a version of standard Windows for low-end, netbook computers.
Joe Wilcox of Microsoft Watch cites internal marketing materials positioning the new product as a competitive response to Linux.
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