ENTERPRISE WINDOWS: Microsoft grooms Virtual Server to be a true VMware challenger - R2 brings better pricing, management, and a hint of broader OS support.

Virtual PC was nice for Windows power users. But for developers and sys admins testing against specific OS images and doing similar business- oriented tasks, Virtual Server 2005 is the only thing out of Redmond that might make us stray from VMware. Fortunately, after slipping a couple of ship dates, Microsoft released Virtual Server late last year to semi-enthusiastic hand clapping from its customers.

But Microsoft never rests on one software version for too long -- especially these days. Hey, there's too much money to be made in upgrades. Most times, the first upgrade in any Microsoft product lifecycle is called "R2" (Release 2), and so it is for Virtual Server 2005, which had its R2 release announced a couple of weeks …