Microsoft Releases Vista Service Pack 2 Beta to the Masses
After the release of a pre-Beta SP 2 (Service Pack 2) version back in October, Microsoft is putting out the Vista SP 2 Beta, and this time the Redmond based company will not give it to just a select few. As is the case with Microsoft, their operating systems will really become stable only when they get a second Service Pack – it happened with Windows XP, and we expect it to happen with Vista as well.
The thing that one can’t help from noticing is how much Microsoft is trying to get the software out there as soon as possible. Initially Vista Service Pack 2 was due to be released by the middle of 2009, some time in June. Reports later started to surface stating that SP 2 Final will be released ahead of time, in April. This Beta release is by all means an indication that work on the service pack is slowly drawing to a close.
Mike Nash, corporate VP with Windows Product Management at Microsoft, explains: “Beginning Thursday Dec. 4th, we will be making the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta available to everyone through a Customer Preview Program (CPP). The CPP will launch on TechNet and be available to anyone interested in trying out this service pack. The CPP is intended for technology enthusiasts, developers, and IT Pros who would like to test Service Pack 2 in their environments and with their applications prior to final release. For most customers, our best advice would be to wait until the final release prior to installing this service pack.”
What this SP 2 Beta represents is Microsoft’s commitment to the Windows operating system, mainly Windows Vista – at least that is what Mike Nash made sure to point out. What we would have liked to hear is not how much the Redmond software developer likes Vista and attempts to make it better – we would have liked to see a precise release date for Vista SP 2.
The thing that one can’t help from noticing is how much Microsoft is trying to get the software out there as soon as possible. Initially Vista Service Pack 2 was due to be released by the middle of 2009, some time in June. Reports later started to surface stating that SP 2 Final will be released ahead of time, in April. This Beta release is by all means an indication that work on the service pack is slowly drawing to a close.
Mike Nash, corporate VP with Windows Product Management at Microsoft, explains: “Beginning Thursday Dec. 4th, we will be making the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta available to everyone through a Customer Preview Program (CPP). The CPP will launch on TechNet and be available to anyone interested in trying out this service pack. The CPP is intended for technology enthusiasts, developers, and IT Pros who would like to test Service Pack 2 in their environments and with their applications prior to final release. For most customers, our best advice would be to wait until the final release prior to installing this service pack.”
What this SP 2 Beta represents is Microsoft’s commitment to the Windows operating system, mainly Windows Vista – at least that is what Mike Nash made sure to point out. What we would have liked to hear is not how much the Redmond software developer likes Vista and attempts to make it better – we would have liked to see a precise release date for Vista SP 2.
