There has been some suggestion that Microsoft may move towards defining the real name of their upcoming products earlier in the product development lifecycle so as to avoid needing product codenames.[1]
| Codename |
Preliminary name |
Final name |
Notes |
| OS/2 3.0 |
Windows NT |
Windows NT 3.1 |
There never was a Windows NT 1.0. The version number was chosen to mirror the Windows version number at the time, and to appear to have a higher version number than OS/2. |
| Daytona |
|
Windows NT 3.5 |
|
| Cairo, SUR (Shell Update Release) |
|
Windows NT 4.0 |
Some of the original goals of Cairo were never achieved - such as an object file system, itself known as Cairo. Microsoft originally planned for NT 4.0 to be just a simple "Shell Update Release" to integrate the Windows 95 GUI with Windows NT 3.51's kernel. |
| Wolfpack |
|
Cluster Server |
|
| Hydra |
Terminal Services |
Terminal Server |
Terminal Server adds "multiheading" support to Windows (the ability to run multiple instances of the graphics subsystem), and the hydra is a mythological monster with multiple heads. |
| Impala, "Windows for Toasters" |
|
Windows NT 4.0 Embedded |
|
|
Windows NT 5.0 |
Windows 2000 |
A watershed in Windows naming:
- first major Windows release since Windows 2.0 without a codename;
- first major Windows NT release whose client variant was named "Professional" instead of "Workstation";
- first major Windows NT release without the "NT" designation in the trade name, which caused confusion when Windows ME was released. The original Windows line (Windows 9x) has since been dropped altogether, and Windows NT operating systems since then are simply referred to as "Windows".
|
| Asteroid |
|
Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 |
|
| Janus |
|
Windows 2000 64-bit |
Same codename as Windows 3.1. |
| Odyssey |
|
N/A |
Never released. Also never compiled. |
| Neptune |
|
N/A |
A "Consumer" version based on the Windows 2000 codebase. Never released (became Whistler). |
| Whistler |
Windows .NET 2001 |
Windows XP |
Merge of initial Whistler (i.e. build 2202), Neptune and Project Odyssey. Named after Whistler, British Columbia, where design retreats were held. |
| Mantis |
|
Windows XP Embedded |
|
| eHome |
|
Windows XP Media Center Edition |
|
| Freestyle |
|
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003 |
Name of a terrain rating system in the Whistler-Blackcomb resort |
| Harmony |
|
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 |
Name of a ski lift and alpine bowl in Whistler, British Columbia |
| Symphony |
|
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 |
Name of an alpine bowl in Whistler, British Columbia |
| Emerald |
|
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Update Rollup 2 |
Name of a ski lift in Whistler, British Columbia |
| Springboard |
|
Windows XP Service Pack 2 |
Name of a ski run on Blackcomb in Whistler, British Columbia |
| Lone Star |
|
Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 |
A branch of the Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 codebase, featuring enhancements specifically for Tablet PC hardware. |
| Whistler Server |
Windows .NET Server |
Windows Server 2003 |
One of many unrelated Microsoft projects of the time to carry a ".NET" designation. See: Microsoft .NET. |
| Bobcat |
|
Windows Small Business Server 2003 |
Bobcat is a ski-run on Whistler Mountain. |
| Eiger |
|
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs |
A low-end version of Windows XP that is intended to be a thin-client that works with older hardware. Available through Software Assurance program. |
| Mönch |
|
|
Similar to Eiger, but supports Windows Mobile devices, Windows Image Acquisition, wireless networking, VPN-s and advanced IP (Internet Protocol) security |
| Longhorn |
|
Windows Vista |
Went golden (RTM) on 8 of November 2006. Named after the Longhorn Bar in the Whistler-Blackcomb resort; initially planned as an "interim release" between "Whistler" and "Blackcomb" (which is now "Vienna"). |
| Cougar |
Windows Small Business Server "Longhorn" |
|
In development. Cougar is a ski-run on Whistler Mountain. |
| Longhorn Server |
Windows Server "Longhorn" |
|
In development. Planned server edition of Vista to be released in 2007. |
| Centro |
|
|
In development. Planned "mid-size" (25-500 PC) edition of Longhorn Server.[1] |
| Blackcomb, Vienna |
|
|
Not started. Originally codenamed "Blackcomb" after the Whistler-Blackcomb resort. Renamed to "Vienna" in January 2006. |
| Fuji |
|
|
Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista. Planned for release in 2008. |
| Codename |
Preliminary name |
Final name |
Notes |
| Pegasus, Alder[3] |
|
Windows CE 1.0 |
(released November 1996) |
| Mercury, Apollo |
|
Windows CE 2.0 |
(released November 1997) |
| Birch[3], Gryphon |
|
Windows CE 2.1 |
|
| Wyvern, Jupiter, Orion, Hermes, Goldeneye |
|
Windows CE 2.11 |
|
| Cedar[3], Galileo, Rapier, Merlin, Stinger |
|
Windows CE 3.0 |
(released April 2000) |
| Talisker[3] |
Windows CE .NET |
Windows CE 4.0 |
(released January 7, 2002) |
| Jameson |
|
Windows CE 4.1 |
(released June 2002) |
| McKendric |
|
Windows CE 4.2 |
(released April 23, 2003) |
| Ozone |
|
Windows Mobile 2003 |
(released June 23, 2003, powered by Windows CE 4.20) |
| Ozone update |
|
Windows Mobile 2003 SE |
(released March 24, 2004, powered by Windows CE 4.21) |
| Macallan[3] |
|
Windows CE 5.0 |
(July 9, 2004 |
| Magneto |
|
Windows Mobile 5.0 |
Windows Mobile 5.0 was officially announced at Microsoft's Mobile and Embedded Developers Conference 2005 in Las Vegas, May 9-12 2005. (based on Windows CE 5.0) |
| Crossbow |
Windows Mobile 5.0 Second Edition |
|
Update to Mobile 5.0, expected in Q4 2006. |
| Yamazaki[3] |
Windows CE 6.0 |
Windows Embedded CE 6.0 |
Expected November 1, 2006 |
| Photon |
Windows Mobile 6.0 |
|
Major update to the platform, merging Smartphone and Pocket PC. Expected in Q4 2007. [2] (based on Windows CE 6.0) |
| Codename |
Preliminary name |
Final name |
Notes |
| Lightning, Project 42 |
Next Generation Windows Services |
Microsoft .NET v1.0 |
Project Lightning was the original codename for the Common Language Runtime in 1997.[6] The team was based in building 42, hence Project 42.[7] "Next Generation Windows Services" appeared in the earliest press releases about the upcoming platform.[8] |
|
COM+ 2.0, COM Object Runtime (COR), Universal Runtime (URT) |
Microsoft .NET Framework v1.0 |
The name COM+ is still in use to designate extensions to COM (currently at version 1.5) for resource management, integrated security and transactionality. .NET itself has little in common with COM and COM+. |
| XDO (XML Data Objects) |
|
ADO.NET |
. |
| Darwin |
Microsoft Installer |
Windows Installer |
[9] |
| Godot |
|
Microsoft Layer for Unicode |
Named after the play Waiting for Godot (centered around the failure of a man named "Godot" to appear and the endless wait for him), because it was felt to be long overdue.[10] |
| Acrylic |
|
Expression Graphic Designer (EGD) |
Microsoft's New Image Editing program based on its acquired Expression. |
| Sparkle |
|
Expression Interactive Designer (EID) |
User interface design tool for Windows Presentation Foundation. Meant to be used by graphics artists. |
| Cider |
|
|
Visual Studio designer for building Windows Presentation Foundation applications. Meant to be used by application developers. |
| Quartz |
|
Expression Web Designer (EWD) |
|
|
WinFX |
.NET Framework 3.0 |
|
| Avalon |
|
Windows Presentation Foundation |
|
| Indigo |
|
Windows Communication Foundation |
|
| InfoCard |
|
Windows CardSpace |
|
| Monad |
MSH, Microsoft Shell |
Windows PowerShell |
Monads, according to philosopher Gottfried Leibniz, are the ultimate elements of the universe, individual percepient beings, and MSH is similarly composed of small, individual modules the user puts in interrelation. |
| Greenwich |
Real-Time Communications Server 2003 |
Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2003 |
|
| Budapest |
|
Microsoft Office Communicator Web Access 2005 |
|
| Istanbul |
|
Microsoft Office Communicator 2005 |
|
| Kahuna |
|
Windows Live Mail |
|
| Metro |
|
XML Paper Specification (XPS) |
|
| Atlas |
Ajax implementation in .NET |
ASP.NET Ajax |
An implementation for ASP.NET of Ajax native to the .NET Framework 2.0. |
| LINQ |
|
|
Language Integrated Query Language extensions to expose query syntax natively to languages such as Visual Basic .NET and C# |
| Concur |
|
|
Aims to: define higher-level abstractions (above "threads and locks"); for today’s imperative languages; that evenly support the range of concurrency granularities; to let developers write correct and efficient concurrent applications; with lots of latent parallelism; that can be efficiently mapped to the user’s. |
| A1 |
Windows OneCare Live |
Windows Live OneCare |
Security suite featuring antivirus, antispyware, backup & recovery, and tune-up |
| Argo |
|
Zune |
A media player to rival the iPod. |
| Xenon |
|
Xbox 360 processor and codename |
|
| Xenos |
|
Xbox 360 GPU and codename |
|
| Mira |
|
|
Windows CE .NET-based technology for smart displays.
[5] [6]
|
| Maestro |
|
Microsoft Office Business Scorecard Manager 2005. |
|
| Tahoe |
|
Sharepoint Portal Server 2001. |
|
| Origami |
|
Ultra-Mobile PC |
A portable device with a touch screen of maximum 7", running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition |
| Omega |
|
JET Engine |
ISAM database engine used in Microsoft Access, a desktop database management system. |
| Bullet |
|
Microsoft Mail 3.0 |
Microsoft's first LAN-based email product. |
| Softsled |
|
|
Software based Media Center Extender. |
