Several internet news organizations are reporting that Microsoft has leaked several release dates for its highly anticipated Windows Vista operating system, formerly known as codename Longhorn.

According to reports, Vista Beta 2 will be released in December 2005, not in early 2006 as previously believed. Beta 1 of the product was released earlier in the month.

A relatively firm release date of the consumer version of Windows Vista is slated for November 15, 2006, according to sources. The timing of the release is believed to be closely timed to the holiday buying season, a move that will allow Microsoft to capitalize on a strong seasonal retail market.

Release dates of Windows Vista came married with the release of the first beta of the WinFS file storage system. It has been reported that in order to meet its current release deadline, the WinFS system will not be included in the initial version of Windows Vista.

Longhorn server, the sister “server version� of Windows Vista which has not been formally named yet, is believed to be made available to the public as a final version sometime in 2007.

More information later.