So, it has been confirmed after a sustained period of rumours. SQL Server "Yukon", now officially to be named SQL Server 2005, and Visual Studio "Whidbey", officially to be named Visual Studio 2005, are not going to be delivered in 2004.
Scoble, Frustration over Whidbey Slip has his take on the situation. The vigorous, not to say heated, discussion in the comments on that post is worth a careful read. Not least to try to disentangle the assorted expectations, assumptions and prejudices that float around in the context of any impending major software release.
I don't think it's productive to get into a Yukon is holding up Whidbey versus Whidbey is holding up Yukon debate, because I don't know what the truth is on that.
One issue which does interest me is the issue of software quality and differing customer expectations in the enterprise database management system space and the developer tools space.
In the enterprise database management space reliability is hugely important. For an enterprise that has a working, reliable system (not only including a single product) that works the aphorism, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is a compelling one.
It's a very different culture from that of many developers where the desire to get their hands on the latest "cool thing" features large. Of course improvements in productivity, removal of pre-existing bugs or improvements on previous bad design are welcome too. But coolness and innovation (perhaps for the sake of innovation) has an attraction for a certain class of developers that would leave an enterprise data system manager cold. An occasional crash is no big deal.
The database guy and the developer guy are just two points on the spectrum of reasons why people buy new software. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the differences in culture played a significant part in the delays that were recently announced.
Posted by Andrew Watt at March 13, 2004 09:41 AM