Microsoft Giving Away SFU 3.0

When Microsoft Services for Unix 3.0 came out, a highlight was its surprisingly low price tag. In a promotion running through the end of this month, the set of tools and services for interoperating between Windows, Unix and Linux is free.

The giveaway presumably is designed to generate some new users who will then want the latest features available in SFU 3.5, which entered beta testing in late July and should be released soon.

The widely acclaimed SFU 3.0 came out in the second quarter of 2002. It was a much expanded product over SFU 2.0, as Microsoft combined the SFU feature set -- for integrating Windows-based and Unix-based networks -- with the Microsoft Interix product. Interix, which Microsoft acquired from Softway Systems in 1999, allows developers and administrators to migrate and run Unix applications on Windows servers.

The SFU 3.0 giveaway started Oct. 16, and Microsoft is promoting it in the customer-focused e-mail newsletters it sends out. Microsoft also offers a three-hour test drive of SFU 3.0 running on a remote Windows Server 2003 box hosted by or for Microsoft.

The free SFU 3.0 and the test drive are available at Microsoft's 'Resources for Unix Professionals' site: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/sfu/unixproresources/

WinBeta.org - Microsoft Giving Away SFU 3.0