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What the hell is XenApp 4.5?

Written on Mar 07 2008
Filed under: ,
10,004 views, 44 comments

by Brian Madden

I'll admit I'm completely confused. When Citrix announced that they would be changing the name of Presentation Server to XenApp, I really applauded them. What I don't understand is why they decided to "retroactively" also rename the old, EXISTING versions of Presentation Server products to "XenApp" as well.

The existing "Presentation Server 4.5" is now being called "XenApp 4.5." But the product documentation calls it Presentation Server 4.5. And the product screens and install is called Presentation Server 4.5. And "Presentation Server 4.5" is printed on the CD. And the knowledgebase refers to it Presentation Server 4.5. And the support forums still call it Presentation Server 4.5.

But the website refers to XenApp 4.5. And the tech videos about PS 4 and PS 4.5 were renamed to XenApp.

What I thought the "XenApp" name was for:

We all know that the next version of Presentation Server is codenamed "Delaware." While Delaware does introduce a few new features, its main goal is to be a version of Presentation Server that works on Windows Server 2008. (Significant architecture changes mean that the existing Presentation Server 4.5 won't run on Windows Server 2008.)

So my thought was that "XenApp 4.5" was Delaware, which would essentially be "Presentation Server 4.5" for Windows Server 2008. Then in 2009 Citrix would release the codename "Parra" version of the product, probably to be called "XenApp 5" or whatever.

But in fact this is not the case.

What the "XenApp" name is really for:

XenApp is the new name for the entire line of Presentation Server products. XenApp 4.5 is the new name for the old product, and Delaware will be called "XenApp something.else," but not "4.5."

I've been working with Citrix products since 1997. Citrix has done a lot of cool things and a lot of crazy things over the years. But retroactively renaming a product and then referring to it by its new name that never actually existed? This is the stupidest, most bone-headed crazy naive decision they've ever made. ("No please, tell us how you really feel Brian?")

So whatever. The two points I want to make are:

  • When you see "XenApp 4.5," that means "Presentation Server 4.5 for Windows Server 2003"
  • Even though I love the name "XenApp" moving forward, Citrix did a stupid thing replacing that name on old products too.

Comments

Mark Prigg wrote PS 4.5 \ XenApp 4.5 hotfixes
on 03-07-2008 10:53 AM
Does the renaming extend to PS 4.5 \ XenApp 4.5 hotfixes?  So instead of, say, PSE450R01W2K3033, should we be calling it XEN450R01W2K3033?!  ;-)
Rick Eilenberger wrote Renaming Complexities
on 03-07-2008 11:10 AM

I renamed my dog this morning to XenApp.  I just wanted to see what would happen.  I had a sense for what would happen going into this experiment, I knew the risks.  But, it's my dog, and I will damn well name my dog whatever I like.

 So, it went like this.  I took the dog to the beach (I live in Newport...:), took him off the leash and he took off running.  I called after him, XenApp, come here XenApp, but as he had no idea what I was talking about he just kept on running.  Now I have dog named XenApp who is lost, and he is lost only because I gave him a name he did not understand and turned him loose to see what would happen.  Tough break.

Brian Madden wrote Re: Renaming Complexities
on 03-07-2008 12:09 PM
Oh this is so going in the comment hall of fame!
Guest wrote Re: Re: Renaming Complexities
on 03-07-2008 12:18 PM

cendrars FTW!

 

LOL

Matt King wrote "Are you feeling the Xen?"
on 03-07-2008 1:10 PM

I heard that at least 10 times yesterday at what was supposed to be a XenServer road show. Being a Citrix guy you can't but be a little excited when Citrix starts to buy other companies, but I think it has gotten out of control. I wanted to learn about XenServer, see how it's performance and features compare with VMWare, and really wanted Citrix to sell me on the product so that I could try to sell it to leadership. Instead I get an SE that thinks his word of mouth is proof enough that it is better than VMWare. I think both presenters were getting paid by the amount of times they could say Xen, make Xen jokes or sly comments to try to get the word Xen programmed in your brain.

 

 

 

Guest wrote Re: Renaming Complexities
on 03-07-2008 1:23 PM
Nicely done...  nicely done!
Guest wrote Re:
on 03-07-2008 1:29 PM

Can't agree more!  Our reps seem to think that they can sell us (and more so upper management, that isn't as tech savy) by just telling us how "cool" all of these new products are.  We keep getting told that things are "better" than VMWare and I've even heard "that's too bad" when mentioning we already have a pretty large VMWare implementation.  It just doesn't seem that they are able to actually explain any true technical merit to their products.  That is of course for the local reps.

It just seems as though they (Citrix) have been taking on too much too quickly, and trying to make too many changes with too many new acquisitions.  That's all fine and well if you can follow through with everything.  At this point I think a lot of the local reps are still trying to figure things out as much as we are.  That all being said, it gets really difficult to try and get your higher ups to understand why we should spend any more money, when the local reps aren't able to back up what you've been saying.

{rant over}  :)

Guest wrote What do I call it now
on 03-07-2008 1:40 PM

When they reanmed nfuse to Web Interface they didn't go back and change all the nfuse references to Web Interface?  When they changed MeteFrame to Presentation Server they did not go back and change all the MetaFrame references to Presentation Server?  How confising will that be when you are looking for a hotfix or a solution to a problem when they have renamed everything?

So should I go and rename my nufuse 1.8 farm to Xen 1.8? ;0)

Steve Greenberg wrote Re: You are talking the wrong people at Citrix!
on 03-07-2008 2:14 PM

All of our good contacts at Citrix all position XEN as a lower end option to VMWare. They all acknowledge that VMWare has better feature and managment, the pitch is that XEN can give you much of the same features at a lower cost and has a free version!!

I think your guy drank a little too much Kool-Aid!!

Steve Greenberg
www.thinclient.net

Guest wrote Re: Re: You are talking the wrong people at Citrix!
on 03-07-2008 2:20 PM
Probably a fair assesment if you knew our rep.  :D
Tom Calo wrote Now What Do I Tell Em?
on 03-07-2008 7:54 PM
Didn't Mark Templeton come from the Marketing Dept.?

I've been working so hard in my company to use the name Presentation Server since 2005 and now I have to tell them XenApp???
Guest wrote Confusing
on 03-08-2008 11:18 AM

I agree this is somewhat strange and will be difficult for some to follow.

ps.  we're running XenApp 4.0 in our environment :)

 Jason Boche

Guest wrote Re: Marketing/Management Azzholes. Jim Cramer was right!
on 03-08-2008 11:19 AM

Oh don't get me started on this topic :)

Jason Boche

Guest wrote Re: Re: Marketing/Management Azzholes. Jim Cramer was right!
on 03-08-2008 4:39 PM
Lets get you started!
Guest wrote This will probably backfire on them
on 03-09-2008 9:20 AM

We learn from history that we do not learn from history.

Product and company renamings are usually nails in the coffin of a dying beast.

Remember Borland's stupid name change to Inprise?

That was a total disaster for that company.

Andrew Storrs wrote Re: This will probably backfire on them
on 03-09-2008 2:30 PM
Ah good old Bordland... they went out of business back in 1998 right? ;)
Andrew Storrs wrote Re: Re: This will probably backfire on them
on 03-09-2008 2:31 PM
damn those typos...
Guest wrote XenCom
on 03-09-2008 6:07 PM

MFCOM / CPSCOM / XenCom or maybe XACOM (pronounced ZACOM)?

Ahhhh I'm lost!!!

Gav

Sean Clark wrote alternate name..
on 03-09-2008 9:35 PM
I personally like the name "MetaXentation Server" better. 
Guest wrote What is in a name?
on 03-10-2008 9:53 AM

I do not understand what all the fuse is about. Well informed people will know that presentation server is renammed to Xenapp. But what's in a name?

Guest wrote Can't get excited
on 03-10-2008 10:59 AM

Winstation->Winframe->Metaframe->Metaframe Presentation Server->Citrix Presentation Server->Xen App

 Yawn.

Guest wrote marketing
on 03-10-2008 11:09 AM

I get the impression that Citrix now have more people in marketing than in development and am rapidly losing faith in their ability to deliver good products which don't need the spin and glitz to sell.

Someone above said that Xen Server has a free version. This is true, but then Xen never cost money, the management tools present in the non-free version are where the cost (and value) lies. This is where VMWare are ahead, and why Microsoft will also be ahead when they release Hyper-V. As for cheap, you could go with any number of the free distributions which include Xen, safe in the knowlege that when you upgrade there will not be an extra "new" console and a new name/colour scheme :o)

Guest wrote XenApp
on 03-10-2008 11:59 AM

Brian,

I'm not sure you're correct about this, I'm sitting across from my Citrix AVG sales team and they're saying that "going forward," XenApp is the name.  And if you look on MyCitrix, it's pretty clear, here's the downloads:

Citrix XenApp (the new name for Presentation Server)

Windows Downloads for Presentation Server 4.5

Presentation Server 4.5 with Feature Pack 1 Platinum for Windows Server 2003

Presentation Server 4.5 with Feature Pack 1 Platinum for Windows Server 2003 x64

Presentation Server 4.5 with Feature Pack 1 Adv/Ent for Windows Server 2003

Presentation Server 4.5 with Feature Pack 1 Adv/Ent for Windows Server 2003 x64

Presentation Server 4.5 with Feature Pack 1 Components CD for Windows

 

But hey, all SE's are different, maybe yours missed the point that Mark Templeton, ex-engineer BTW, kept hammering home at Summit, which was, "Don't create confusion, clarify that XenApp is the client/server piece of Citrix's overall virtualization strategy.