Print - Finally, Microsoft Reveals Vista SP1 and XP SP3 Schedules

Microsoft on Wednesday finally disclosed the timing and content of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), two eagerly awaited OS updates that were previously shrouded in mystery. The company says that neither update will include any major new end user functionality, especially in the case of Vista SP1, as that OS brings with it a new form of servicing, where updates are released as needed, and not all at once in a service pack.

"Windows Vista SP1 beta will be released in a few weeks to a moderate sized audience," a Microsoft representative told me. "At this time, SP1 will contain changes focused on addressing specific reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards. Microsoft is targeting first quarter of 2008 for Windows Vista SP1."

The Vista SP1 beta will proceed in stages, and the audience for the beta will grow with each stage. Currently, a very small group of testers are evaluating an early version of SP1 code. That group will grow larger in a few weeks, and then a later pre-release of SP1 will be available to a larger group of testers via MSDN and TechNet subscriptions, Microsoft says.

Microsoft would prefer that its business customers especially not wait until Vista SP1 before deploying Vista. As I first reported about quite a while ago, Microsoft plans to ship Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 at the same time; the company finally corroborated this information in today's announcement.

As for Windows XP SP3, this release is due in the first half of 2008 and will also be a minor update. "Windows XP SP3 is rollup of previously released updates for Windows XP including security updates, out-of-band releases, and hotfixes," according to a Microsoft representative. "It will also contain a small number of new updates. This should not significantly change the Windows XP experience." Microsoft has yet to reveal what these new updates are.

I'll have more information about Vista SP1 later today in my Windows Vista SP1 FAQ on the SuperSite for Windows.

I'm confused. I thought there wasn't going to be an SP1 for Vista..... Glad to finally see a slightly more tangible schedule.

"As I first reported about quite a while ago, Microsoft plans to ship Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 at the same time; the company finally corroborated this information in today's announcement." Ha! Paul, you've been, at best, wishywashy about this issue. Whereas I have continually pointed out that not only would they both RTM at the same time, but that they are fundamentally "the same." The official SP1 whitepaper (http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/pages/windows-vista-service-pack-1-beta-whitepaper.aspx) has the following to say: "[3] Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 have been built from the same fundamental source code base since the beginning. Many of the core files are identical between the two products, although each product has unique features, specific individual files and functional behaviors that are appropriate for the intended customer uses for the specific product. For example, Windows Media Center only appears in Windows Vista, while Active Directory or Windows Clustering only appear in Windows Server 2008. Examples of common files shared between the two operating systems are the kernel and core OS files, the networking stack, file sharing. In the past year since the Windows Vista public release, the common files in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 have been continually improved based on customer beta feedback, customer deployments, and Microsoft internal testing."

"Ha! Paul, you've been, at best, wishywashy about this issue." Paul? Wishy-washy? Nahhhhhhhhhh.

"Paul? Wishy-washy?" Never. Arrogant and self-aggrandizing, yes, but never wishy-washy. Paul strongly believes everything he writes up until the time he contradicts himself.

What is the point in coming here just to be insulting and waste everyone's time? If you don't like the article, don't visit the site. I think it's good news that Microsoft are finally being honest about SP1 and it's good to hear some concrete facts.

"If you don't like the article, don't visit the site." That's impossible. In order to decide whether you like the article or not, you HAVE to visit the site first. Chicken, egg, egg, chicken. You know how it goes! :-)

I read the white paper and got a chuckle out of the "Businesses that are doing roll out planning shouldn't stop doing so." Why was MS denying that Vista SP1 was going to come out when Server08 was released? Why? WHy? WHY? It looks like the engineers that were honest about this have had the last laugh over marketing. Now that it's out there for everyone to see, I'd have to say that the parts of SP1 that are not catching Vista system components up to Server 08 spec aren't going to be very numerous. Me? I'm quite happy with Vista. I just hope SP1 doesn't screw things up.

Just a small point here... "Never. Arrogant and self-aggrandizing, yes, but never wishy-washy. Paul strongly believes everything he writes up until the time he contradicts himself." Lotsasnarkiness - that's not a criticism of the article, it's a criticism of Paul. You've shown that you don't like Paul. You don't need to visit the site to confirm this fact.

"that's not a criticism of the article, it's a criticism of Paul." It's a defense of Paul. I'm saying he has conviction and he's not wishy-washy. He clearly believes and stands by everything he writes. Is he sometimes arrogant? Yes. Is he self-aggrandizing? Clearly. Does that make him interesting and fun to read? Hells ya. Did I not make that clear? Of course I like Paul. I read and enjoy his sites; heck, I even have a couple of his books. Don't pretend to know what I think, "jersey".

I didn't pretend to know what you think. I said "you've shown". That's an opinion based on what you've posted here.

This article merely puts quotes on the expected timeline that everyone's expected for the last month. I guess it's a nice bullet point in a slide if you plan on rolling over to Server 2k8 on day one of release... but meh.

@Patriot - "Flip-flopper maybe?" Quite common for a liberal for Massachusetts. ;-) <--------Wink, wink...nudge, nudge, say no more. --tayme