Microsoft's Windows Vista released to manufacturing
Microsoft said last week that development of Windows Vista is now complete, with the software being released to manufacturing in advance of a gradual rollout to customers over the next few months.
The newly completed operating system -- slated to ship for large-volume business customers on November 30th and to the general public on January 30th -- marks the first major Windows update from the company in five years.
The Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft said it plans an extremely aggressive launch on that later date, which will see Vista preinstalled on as many systems as possible, culminating in an expected total of 100 million systems running Vista by the end of 2007.
"On Jan. 30, you will be hard pressed to find a machine that doesn't have Windows Vista available," said Jim Allchin, co-president of Microsoft's platforms and services division.
Vista sports a series of major upgrades to the Windows foundation, including a 3D-accelerated windowing system, system-wide live search results, and a much stricter security policy that should block the web browser exploits and self-propagating Internet worms that caused widespread security trouble for Windows XP users.
Nevertheless, the long-delayed OS has suffered criticism from both rivals and supporters alike, prompting many to speculate that development has been hurried in an attempt to remain competitive with other software.
Apple has openly but light-heartedly accused Microsoft of imitating its own Mac OS X operating system with Vista, pointing out clear similarities that have crept into Vista since the release of Mac OS X Tiger in April of 2005. These include Vista Gadgets' sidebar resemblance to Tiger's Dashboard layer and a parallel between Vista's Flip 3D task switcher and Tiger's Exposé.
In turn, testers themselves have reported an unusually large number of flaws in later stages: "This is the buggiest OS I've seen this late in development," Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox said of Vista during its Beta 2 phase.
While later Vista releases have measurably improved stability, the software has been delayed as recently as late October in order to address last-minute programming bugs.
Microsoft has also been criticized by computer resellers for potentially damaging holiday sales with its scheduled January launch and for demanding a price premium for the legal right to run Vista in a virtual environment.
The newly completed operating system -- slated to ship for large-volume business customers on November 30th and to the general public on January 30th -- marks the first major Windows update from the company in five years.
The Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft said it plans an extremely aggressive launch on that later date, which will see Vista preinstalled on as many systems as possible, culminating in an expected total of 100 million systems running Vista by the end of 2007.
"On Jan. 30, you will be hard pressed to find a machine that doesn't have Windows Vista available," said Jim Allchin, co-president of Microsoft's platforms and services division.
Vista sports a series of major upgrades to the Windows foundation, including a 3D-accelerated windowing system, system-wide live search results, and a much stricter security policy that should block the web browser exploits and self-propagating Internet worms that caused widespread security trouble for Windows XP users.
Nevertheless, the long-delayed OS has suffered criticism from both rivals and supporters alike, prompting many to speculate that development has been hurried in an attempt to remain competitive with other software.
Apple has openly but light-heartedly accused Microsoft of imitating its own Mac OS X operating system with Vista, pointing out clear similarities that have crept into Vista since the release of Mac OS X Tiger in April of 2005. These include Vista Gadgets' sidebar resemblance to Tiger's Dashboard layer and a parallel between Vista's Flip 3D task switcher and Tiger's Exposé.
In turn, testers themselves have reported an unusually large number of flaws in later stages: "This is the buggiest OS I've seen this late in development," Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox said of Vista during its Beta 2 phase.
While later Vista releases have measurably improved stability, the software has been delayed as recently as late October in order to address last-minute programming bugs.
Microsoft has also been criticized by computer resellers for potentially damaging holiday sales with its scheduled January launch and for demanding a price premium for the legal right to run Vista in a virtual environment.
Comments
All that sucks is the EULA..
I don't understand. If it's done NOW, why wait till Jan 30 to release it the general public?
1) To have enough time to produce the packaging.
2) To have enough time to launch the marketing campaign.
3) To gather showstoppers at enterprise installations (which are already beginning) and avoid them for consumers.
Are "large-volume business customers" truly itching to become the Guinea pigs for a new OS that's not yet ready for even HOME usage?
still, i wouldn't be surprised if this became the last major release of the OS. the development time proved that the system is a huge bloated, patched up mess that can't possibly survive much longer... MS, however, will be much harder to sink
...
-tj
Well I have my iMac set up as a dual boot, so I will be buying.
They actually finished! They must be relieved, now all the jokes about how late it is can finally stop.
Well I have my iMac set up as a dual boot, so I will be buying.
My question is why? You are already running OS X.
Lol this 'final' version is already out over all the major warez sites. Great job M$! :P
-tj
There is currently no WGA and WPA crack, however. There is a hack to replace it with RC 2's timebombed versions, but that will only last for 180 days.
...Well I have my iMac set up as a dual boot, so I will be buying.
Yes for the love of God dual boot WindowsXP2Pro is enough. Mac OS X for most needs. Why waste your time with the initial bloated, overblown Crapsta???
Actually though, it all works well. Apple will ride out the holiday season and report best quarter ever for Oct-Dec 2006 when it releases info in mid-January (timing with MacWorld I'm not sure when exactly when...)... Maybe hitting $90 by just before MacWorldSF, then possibly some significant sell-offs if people don't get their FRACKING MID-TOWER WITH PCI-EXPRESS GRAPHICS CARD OPTIONS
But Apple has a clear strategy in place to move forward in 2007, actually it will be interesting to see what happens. All bets are off at this stage for Apple in 2007.
The best part nonetheless is Vista is showing it's hand first. Apple engineers, while laughing their asses off at it, will be carefully adjusting Leopard to bite Vista hard in the bollocks when it is released, say, April 2007 coinciding perhaps(!) with Adobe CS3 full UniversalBinary. Sweet.
No doubt though Leopard and other virtual-machine software companies will have to support dual-boot AND virtualization of Vista alongside XP2. Windows 2000, *sniff* you saved me from the fracking piece of shit that was Windows 98, thank you, and goodbye, as your install-cds gently sail into the blue-tinged night, never to be heard from again...........
"On Jan. 30, you will be hard pressed to find a machine that doesn't have Windows Vista available,"
MS is flipping the bird to holiday computer sales...
Here in Melbourne Australia iPods and Macs are everywhere, it's great. The Wii is coming Dec 7. But can you believe it, I have gone to a dozen computer/gaming shops and I have not seen a single demo XBOX360 machine yet. Not a single one in this, Australia's 2nd largest city of almost/about(??) 3 million+ people including greater metro area. Bloody hell. They say they have it in stock but only PS2's are on demo with some kid's games on it.
No sign of the Zune anywhere here in Australia as well, unless Sydneysiders, has it popped up (or, pooped up, should I say, *pats self on back for witty remarks*) up there??
Yes for the love of God dual boot WindowsXP2Pro is enough. Mac OS X for most needs. Why waste your time with the initial bloated, overblown Crapsta???
For one, because Vista finally has a better alt-tab implementation, closer to that of OS X.
w00t. Can't wait to install it.
All that sucks is the EULA..
What the?