September 20th, 2007
Still no new Vista SP1, Windows Server 2008 test builds
Where is the Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 1 beta and the Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate (RC) 0 test builds that many testers expected to have in hand by now?
Microsoft isn’t saying anything, other than Microsoft promised to get these builds out “in a few weeks” at the start of this month and that the code is on its way.
(I was pretty sure that the Windows Client team told me “in two weeks,” not “in a few weeks” back on August 29, but OK…)
On the server side of the house, some testers said were expecting to get code last week, given that Microsoft delivered to Technology Adoption Program partners an RC0 build a couple weeks ago. Then it looked like Microsoft was aiming to get Windows Server testers code some time the week of September 17, which is this week. Now it is sounding like Windows Server 2008 RC0 — the first test build that will include a Community Technology Preview of the “Viridian” hypervisor — might be on for next week. I asked for an update (a couple of times), but received no reply.
Update: I see Microsoft publicly confirmed during the Intel Developer Forum that Windows Server RC0 is now tracking for next week.
On the client side, some of the 10,000 to 15,000 estimated Vista SP1 beta testers said they received beta confirmation notes from Microsoft this week, acknowledging that they are going to get the SP code real soon now. (The invites for the SP1 beta went out on August 31.)
Microsoft might release the new Windows client and server test releases simultaneously, or could stagger the new drops. Again, no official word on that.
Windows Vista SP1 is slated to ship in the first quarter of 2008. Microsoft has said it expects to release Windows Server 2008 to manufacturing also in the first quarter of 2008.
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