SharePoint Server 2010 beta 2 is available on Technet/MSDN- but where's SharePoint Foundation?...

You may have noticed that I have been really quiet about the release of the SPF 2010 beta 2 to the public. This is because, as an MVP, I have under NDA not to peep about it until today-- even though the bits were actually made available on TechNet/MSDN for those with a subscription since Monday.

Now for those of you who might have a subscription (like I do), you might've been looking for the link to download SharePoint Foundations 2010 to mess with it and see what has changed, and more importantly, what has been taken away.

You might have gone to the site (TechNet or MSDN, name your poison), selected Downloads, and looked for SharePoint Foundation 2010 under servers-- only to find it missing.

Check it out, you'll see (unless MS changes it) I'm right.

Early in the evening on Monday, November 16th, 2009, SharePoint Foundation 2010 was listed under Servers to download from TechNet or MSDN, as is posted by Jan Tielens SharePoint 2010 Public Beta Available on MSDN. However, that is now not where the download bits for SharePoint Foundation 2010 are located anymore.

SharePoint Foundation-- the product, meant to be installed on the server that is the foundation of the SharePoint Server 2010 product-- is now to be found under Applications, just like SharePoint Designer.

So if you are looking to download SharePoint Foundation 2010 beta 2, go to Applications or Updated Products on the left side of the screen, and scroll. It will be listed right beneath SharePoint Designer (sigh).

Or you can do what I did, and do a search among the products. Regardless, you will find SPF 2010 listed somewhere other than with SharePoint Server 2010.


Think Microsoft's trying to tell us something?