Microsoft recently moved to release their Virtual Server 2005 software for free. This is a somewhat unexpected, yet not surprising move by the software giant. With the fairly recent move to release a free edition of VMware Server, as well as recent strides in the Linux Virtualization space; the pressure on Redmond to deliver is clear.

This is a major step, and could have an interesting impact on the market. I’m wondering if we won’t see another Media Player vs. RealPlayer, or Internet Explorer vs. Netscape type battle (though at a smaller scale). By releasing this as a free product, they are walking into the same situation that has landed them in court several times before.

This could turn into a good show, might be worth watching to see what happens next.