Originally posted on August 31, 2007 @ 12:15 am
Finally, the anticipated release of the Windows Vista service pack is nigh. The Vista service pack marks the first significant upgrade to the operating system that Microsoft debuted last January. According to Microsoft officials the Service Pack will be released to a relatively “moderate sized audience” in the next couple of weeks while the general release to the public at large will happen within the first few months in 2008. Up to now there are still no firm dates for the release of the service pack, this will happen after the company has evaluated the feedback from the people who are using the beta release of the Vista service pack. Microsoft also announced that the service pack will come in three distinct forms. These are express, stand-alone, and slipstream. These are basically delivery models in which the service pack will be introduced to the core operating system.
Why are these service packs so anticipated? well, the answer is simple. These updates actually improve security and performance, adds more support for emerging standards and hardware and also addresses bugs in the OS itself. Call me jaded, but I always have a problem with calling these upgrades service packs. Let’s face it, Microsoft always ships an incomplete product during launch. It’s basically just an improved and more stable beta release and the service packs are the patches that bring the operating system to version 1.0.
perating system, an update that features security upgrades, improved performance, and support for emerging hardware and standards.
“A small group of testers has been putting a preview of the SP1 Beta through its paces to help prepare for broader release,” Nick White, a Microsoft product manager, wrote in a Wednesday blog post. “We made the choice to start with a very small group of testers because we think it’s better for both our customers and for Microsoft to keep the beta program small at the start.””A later pre-release of SP1 will be available to a larger group of testers via MSDN and TechNet subscribers,” White said.
Vista SP1 will be available in three forms: express, stand-alone, and slipstream.