Microsoft has recently declared that its OS Windows Azure cloud will set online by 1st of January upcoming year.

The cloud by Microsoft

The goal of Azure is to provide developers with an online platform to create their own applications, and disk space available on the Internet at any company. Redmond hopes to compete with Amazon cloud service gaining popularity (see "Microsoft Launches Azure, its platform services.)

Microsoft has outlined its ambitious projects like the ability to run Java applications using an Apache Tomcat or its subsystem Dallas using the new service Pinpoint editor that indexes the information on the cloud to better exploit.

2010: the year of the cloud

Windows Azure out of phase CTP (technology preview) to which it is now next year. The period between January and February would be free, then Microsoft will charge its customers. Prices are still unknown.

The firm Steve Ballmer also took the opportunity to publish the beta of Windows Server AppFabric that allows developers using Azure to more easily deploy and manage applications running on the server or the cloud by combining technologies caching and hosting firm.