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Just One More Release Before Windows Vista Goes Gold

Posted by Steven Parker on 30 September 2006 - 14:50 · 76 comments & 26920 views

Microsoft will release just one more build of Windows Vista for testing before the code goes gold, said Brad Goldberg, the general manager for the Windows client business group. That build will be made available to a limited group of between 50,000 and 100,000 testers in October, and follows the interim Vista build that Microsoft released on Sept. 22.

Goldberg declined to say if this final test build would be known as Release Candidate 2, adding that the company is focused, from an engineering perspective, on targeting the group of testers from whom it most wants one last set of feedback.

Goldberg, who was on a cross-country tour in late September designed to get the message out about the business value and benefits that Vista brings, also said Vista is on track for availability to businesses via volume licensing in November, with broad general availability to consumers set for January 2007.

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(2 replies) #1 Posted by ozzy76 on 30 Sep 2006 - 14:59: I'm smelling an early Service Pack. I feel sorry for all you early adopters out there, let the true beta testng begin.

Last edited by ozzy76 on 30 Sep 2006 - 15:06

(1 reply) #2 Posted by *John* on 30 Sep 2006 - 15:03: RC1 is a pretty good release, and lets be fair, MS are not going to stop working on Vista once it "goes gold" are they?

I'll get Vista as soon as its released, but i'm expecting to have to download about 100mb off windows update when I first boot into it though, which is no biggy at all.

Vista ftw!

(8 replies) #3 Posted by Chicane-UK on 30 Sep 2006 - 15:09: I just don't know why everyone is so happy for Vista to go out the door like this. I would absolutely not pay for it in its current state - and I don't see that RTM is going to be THAT much better, compared to the last build I tried which was 5278!

(1 reply) #4 Posted by jwjw1 on 30 Sep 2006 - 15:11: oh yeah..there is no doubt that within a week of this so called 'gold' that there will be 'patches' 'updates'...MS is just in a rush to regain some investment back..and I'm sure some money hungry lawyer is waiting in the background to file a lawsuit.

#5 Posted by mohan_168 on 30 Sep 2006 - 15:13: They will keep releasing build after build ( if not to everyone ) till it hits SP1 because its still an incomplete OS from a stability point of view.

(1 reply) #6 Posted by HoochieMamma on 30 Sep 2006 - 15:24: Can someone give me a straight answer to these questions:

1: Will Vista Ultimate RTM have more then 1 language integrated? Was supposed to be ~30 but didn't hear any news for ages.

2: Will the DVD have 32bit & 64bit versions together?

3: When starting games does it unload all the uneeded services/tasks in windows to make games run better? (haven't heard about this feature being implemented or removed :/ )

#7 Posted by chaosblade on 30 Sep 2006 - 15:34: I wonder if all those who complain ever bothered to try anything lately, RC1 and 5728 included.
And no, Specific driver issues with your SDFLJK-LEET-HARDWARE INC. card isnt an OS problem.

(4 replies) #8 Posted by Tungsten T on 30 Sep 2006 - 15:38: I'm using vista right now but I really don't think its all that great, its not that it is a bad prouduct in anyway, but I find it too heavy for my taste, even WinXP is a little too heavy for me, I'm a big fan of Windows 2000, And OS X but I could never afford a mac.

#9 Posted by RangerLG on 30 Sep 2006 - 15:39: I am using the current build at the moment. I do like some of the new features, but I am not seeing a pressing need to change from XP right now.

(3 replies) #10 Posted by bibutteryboy on 30 Sep 2006 - 16:03: ummm
Mac OSx 10.4 was released in April of 2005 as early as May of 2005
Since then there have been many "updates"

Mac OS X v10.4.0 (build 8A42, released April 29, 2005
Mac OS X v10.4.1 (build 8B15), released May 16, 2005
Mac OS X v10.4.2 (build 8C46), released July 12, 2005
Mac OS X v10.4.2 (build 8E102), released October 12, 2005; exclusively for the Front Row iMac G5
Mac OS X v10.4.2 (build 8E45), released October 19, 2005; exclusively for PowerBook G4s
Mac OS X v10.4.2 (build 8E90), released October 19, 2005; exclusively for Power Mac G5 Dual and Quad
Mac OS X v10.4.3 (build 8F46), released October 31, 2005 (included in updated retail copies)
Mac OS X v10.4.4 (build 8G32 for PowerPC, 8G1165 for Intel), released January 10, 2006 (Apple Download Page)
Mac OS X v10.4.5 (build 8H14 for PowerPC, 8G1454 for Intel), released February 14, 2006
Mac OS X v10.4.6 (build 8I127 for PowerPC, 8I1119 for Intel), released April 3, 2006
Mac OS X v10.4.7 (build 8J135 for PowerPC, 8J2135a for Intel), released June 27, 2006
Mac OS X v10.4.7 (build 8K1079), released August 7, 2006; exclusively for Mac Pro released the same date
Mac OS X v10.4.8 (build 8L127 for PowerPC, 8L2122 for Intel), released September 29, 2006

soooo, what's the point in all this service pack crying?

(6 replies) #11 Posted by jwjw1 on 30 Sep 2006 - 16:13: Vista is like buying a Car and the 'Ad' says....we haven't quite worked out the bugs on the wheel design..so we added a 'disclaimer'....."Wheels Subject to fall off..."Do not Drive over 10mph"

(4 replies) #12 Posted by bibutteryboy on 30 Sep 2006 - 16:34: I think most people were expecting a more OSX experience from Vista. And I suspect most people complaining about Vista have no clue as to what has actually been done to this version. They are looking at it from a graphical point of view more than a technical point of view.

(5 replies) #13 Posted by billyea on 30 Sep 2006 - 18:18: I will first-adopt vista as part of my need to upgrade to a new PC. I think RC1 is ready for retail market.

Think about it this way, it's hard to 'fix' an OS with a group of testers.
It's EASY to find and fix flaws in an OS with it released in mainstream.

#14 Posted by Jugalator on 30 Sep 2006 - 18:41: Vista is definitely an OS I'll watch as an audience about what the RTM testers find out on it before venturing into that territory.

(3 replies) #15 Posted by wtaag on 30 Sep 2006 - 19:37: What's funny is that people were in a uproar when Windows XP came out. Get over it people. Software is not perfect and its 100% IMPOSSIBLE to test on EVERY possible test scenario/setup. Apple has had the luxury of developing for the SAME hardware across the board. They know what's in their machines and the limited amount of 3rd party software that comes with it. It's much like developing games for PC and Console. When you work on a fixed hardware platform, its easier to nail down issues. Anyone working in the software industry understands this. Get off your pedestals and let it be. Vista is a welcomed addition to the Microsoft Library. I just find it funny how people bitched about Microsoft not listening to their customers and being the next Republic incarnate. Now that they are reaching out to their customer, people find another reason to bitch. It's defeatism at it's best.

#16 Posted by Mike Frett on 30 Sep 2006 - 22:54: I *might* upgrade after SP2. If Linux doesn't work out for me. It all just depends at this point.

(3 replies) #17 Posted by Croquant on 30 Sep 2006 - 23:36: At this point, MS Vista = Total Crap.
Of course, the folks at Microsoft are trying to spin it as if it's the greatest thing since Sliced Bread.
But it's really just another MS Steaming Load.
All MS fanboys may now flame and/or troll me, as their programing dictates. I'll be the one ignoring them.

(1 reply) #18 Posted by jim87654 on 01 Oct 2006 - 01:48: I'll dual boot Vista shortly after release and only uninstall XP after SP1. That's the only "safe" way for me.

#19 Posted by bibutteryboy on 01 Oct 2006 - 02:04: I guess in the grand scheme of things everyones points are moot. Ms has and always will be the dominating Operating System on the planet. Good or bad makes no difference.

#20 Posted by Kushan on 01 Oct 2006 - 02:51: People don't seem to be able to remember that with every major release of an OS, there's always problems.
Windows XP, when it first came out, had all sorts of issues, mainly to do with compatibility problems. When SP1 was released, there were even more issues and I think SP2 had some of the worst issues out there, yet look at XP now. It's stable, it's relatively secure (compared to it's original release) and quite frankly, it's the best Windows desktop OS out there without fail.
Most of the issues that came up weren't the OS itself, but from poor drivers, badly written programs and so forth. Sure, there were also a few problems microsoft created, but they were either fixed or the affected programs updated.
Vista will be no different. Considering how far it's come in the past few months, it's doing rather well. Over the next few months, as people use it more and more and find more issues with it, they'll be dealt with one way or another and a few years from now, people will be laughing at XP users for not upgrading, while slamming the next big OS from Microsoft.

Oh and just to clarify, what I said holds true for almost all OS's, even Mac OS. I know this because my girlfriend has had all sorts of problems dealing with various updates to Tiger, but guess what, she was on a slightly older G4. Her position is no different than a windows XP user getting ready to update to Vista. You can bet that if you go out and buy a brand spanking new Mac or Vista machine, it'll run like a charm.

(2 replies) #21 Posted by Rivers on 01 Oct 2006 - 09:04: Rather a random, old er.. noob question as I havnt been following vista at all.
Windows xp had the option of using a win98 type look and feel.
Does Vista have anything like it as well??

#22 Posted by the quixotic on 01 Oct 2006 - 09:34: I think the internals of Vista will be (close enough to) fine at launch - but its just the FEEL of it.
Knowing that it has been rushed (and it has), the first thing youll do is try to pick out the bits just left from XP and whatever - things like the fonts (some dialogs still use MS Sans Serif!!! and network status windows etc.

Basically, I think Microsoft has lost its direction with Vista - they didn't really know what they wanted to get out of it, and really just ended up with a rengineered XP, without any truly revolutionary thinking put into it. Sure, it'll be great, feel fresh, but won't be the OS everyone was hoping for.

#23 Posted by Kalphegor on 01 Oct 2006 - 10:08: All I want from Microsoft is SP3 for Windows XP.

(2 replies) #24 Posted by Primetime2006 on 01 Oct 2006 - 16:50: These are the exact same excuses/rants/mindless complaining that happened when Windows XP was about to be relesaed. It took until SP1 before people started to be satisfied, but even before SP1 it was FAR from being an incomplete OS.

In 2001, it was the same "it's unstable", "it's buggy", "it's bloated", "my apps/games/drivers won't work on it". Most of the claims were unjustified. I used XP as a regular OS from RC1 thru to today with next to no problems. I don't remember the last time I had an OS related BSOD using Windows, but it would had to have been pre-SP1 for sure. Most of the BSOD today are hardware related.

Most of the OS issues fall down on old software, bad drivers, and sometimes even user error. Whether you would like to think so or not. Furthermore, the claim of the oh so bad "RAM" usage issue is the SAME kind of crap we heard when XP came out. Face the facts people, with today's gaming, extensive software and the like, the minimum RAM in an average computer today is 1 GB, some people are even pushing to 2 GB now. Retail chain computers are coming with 1 GB out of the box. Vista would run just fine with 512 MB of RAM (because I've done it), but it's the "extras" like your a/v, your firewall, your games, etc. that will need the other 512. The claim that Vista uses "700 MB of RAM" after install is nothing but a load as well. Turn off the extra services you don't need, turn off the visualizations if you are not interested in them. Trust me, there are ways to save on RAM. I would rather it use my RAM than try to use a paging file which is a lot slower. There are games out there today that use a 700 MB of RAM after loading up, so again a poor excuse to complain.

Thirdly, the claim of "I won't use an operating system that takes up 12 GB of HD space on install" is also a load of crap. You can get a 300 GB drive for under $100 nowadays, even a 200 GB drive is cheap. Hell, most games are taking 5-7 GB of your space to install in today's industry. So the fact that an ENTIRE operating system is using 12 GB is just a cheap excuse to complain. I have RC1 installed right now, and it says 6.45 GB used, so not sure how someone managed to get it to be almost double that.

Now it's 2006 and once again MS is releasing another OS and the SAME crap is being spouted out of people's mouths that was spouted out 5 years ago. Fact of the matter is, either a lot of you are using Linux or OSX on these forums or a lot of you ended up using Windows XP in the end. So stop complaining about Vista being "unstable", which it's not, it being "buggy" which it's far from, and being "incomplete", because aside from the features MS removed along the beta stage, it's exactly what it was suppose to be in the end. I agree the price tag is hefty, but it was hefty back when XP first came out. Windows isn't the only operating system that has flaws, vulnerabilities, incompatibilities, and complaints. Those of you who say "Vista was rushed" need to buy a calendar. It took over 5 years to finish, that's far from being rushed. There's pressure on their bottom line, pressure from businesses, pressure from consumers, pressure from manufacturers, pressure from the EU, list goes on. Still, 5 years is a long time. MS already has said that Vienna will not take as long. So when Vienna is scheduled to release, you will all be here again saying "they should have taken longer, it was rushed".

And no, I won't be one of those first people to use it either. I will wait for the first service pack and the price to drop a bit and see what I think after that. SP3 for XP will be out next year, so I'm awaiting that, plus I only have 512 of RAM and I will be upgrading my entire system next year anyway, so I'll wait for that. I only posted this to make people see that this happens every time a new OS comes out.

My point is, we go through this on EVERY Windows release and every time, the claims you people make are shot down, manufacturer's release better drivers, a service pack comes out, the price drops a bit, and everyone joins the bandwagon. This will be no different.

Last edited by Primetime2006 on 01 Oct 2006 - 16:56

(2 replies) #25 Posted by -Dave- on 01 Oct 2006 - 17:23: well said

(1 reply) #26 Posted by Meacham on 02 Oct 2006 - 11:44: I argued this point a while back, but, not sure to which forum or website I raised this point with Microsoft on a debate with their beta testers advising them to move to RC2 because Vista was not ready for RTM at the moment because there are still some flaws which need to be ironed out first. And what does Goldberg say...?

Quote -
Goldberg declined to say if this final test build would be known as Release Candidate 2, adding that the company is focused, from an engineering perspective, on targeting the group of testers from whom it most wants one last set of feedback.

Vista should move forwards to RC2 then RTM and then Gold, SP1 will probably be in Q1 or Q2 0f 2007 I would say around April 2007.

Vista is moving along very well at the moment and we don't want to see a repeat of Windows XP... I mean how many security updates has it had now since the launch on the 21st November 2001...? At the end of the day the share holders of Microsoft want their piece of the pie and know that Vista will probably sell rather well especially in the United States. In Europe at the moment there is still a massive argument about software bundles and all that cr**. so the sales of Vista in the UK will probably be later than the US.

EU laws

Last edited by Meacham on 02 Oct 2006 - 11:51

#27 Posted by dangel on 02 Oct 2006 - 14:50: I don't give a crap if they issue lots of updates - what the heck is the problem with that?
I love the way that MS are _bad_ for not releasing Vista, and then when they actually get near to it they're _bad_ for thinking about releasing it. Software products always ship with flaws (ours do and i've no problem admitting it) but that's exactly _why_ patch processes are in place - be they in the form of iterative updates or full service packs. Having sat and used RC1 for 3 weeks for development work I can't see any insurmountable problem dogging the RTM version.

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