Microsoft chief, Jim allchin, Co-President of Platform Products and Services Division, said in an interview that there will be no anti-virus protection in Windows Vista despite the emphasis on safety and security.

This is for unspecified business reasons not technical ones, he said. From day one, Microsoft has been promoting Vista as a landmark improvement in Windows security.

The Register writes: “Microsoft will sell anti-virus protection to consumers through its OneCare online backup and security service.”

According to Jim Allchin, Co-President of Microsoft’s Platform Products and Services Division, Windows Vista Beta 2 wll never appear. It will be replaced by two new Vista Community Technology Previews (CTP) in the next two calendar quarters.

Once again the goalposts have been moved. When Microsoft announced the Windows CTP program last year, officials hoped to deliver monthly CTPs. Now they are moving toward quarterly schedules.

Mary Jo Foley writes:

A first quarter CTP, which is going to Technology Adoption Program (TAP) testers, is the “enterprise CTP,” [Allchin] said. The TAP build, which many company watchers are expecting to hit in February, will include functionality that will allow the build to install on top of Windows XP, Allchin said. The TAP CTP is widely expected to include the Windows Sidebar pane, but Allchin said that it still is not 100 percent certain that the Sidebar will make it into this build. … Microsoft also is planning a third CTP, the Customer Preview Program (CPP) release, for release in the second calendar quarter, Allchin said. Company watchers are expecting the CPP CTP in April.

Although these will all be labeled “Beta 2″, there will be no overall complete Beta 2 version.

How many angels …?

There have been rumors for a while about a possible Office 2006. But get this: Steve Bink of Bink.nu attended an IT Forum, where the Office 12 demos were branded as Office 2007.

Does that mean that Office is going to be late? After all, Windows Vista Beta 2 is already five months delayed.

Bill Gates enjoying a pie in the face.

Windows Vista Beta 2 is likely to ship in April following a limited Communitiy Technology Preview (CTP) earlier.

Originally, the beta was expected in December, but this date slipped giving rise to speculation that the final version may not be ready this year as planned. That would be disaster for Microsoft, already looking at a three-year overall delay on the operating system.