Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Release Candidate Available for Download
The development team behind the Vista operating system has come out this week to announce the fact that the second service pack for the Windows-based OS has reached a new milestone in its development process: Vista SP2 RC (Release Candidate). The service pack will initially be made available to TechNet and MSDN subscribers, but Microsoft will also allow general users to download Vista SP2 RC shortly after. In related news, Microsoft will also make Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Release Candidate available for download.
Windows Communications Manager on the Windows Client Communications Team, Brandon LeBlanc comments: “In the very near future, we will be making the RC broadly available for anyone to download and test. SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 include updates that have been delivered since the release of SP1, as well as support for new types of hardware and emerging standards. As we’ve described since we first talked about SP2, we’ve taken your feedback into account when developing SP2. Specifically, we expect SP2 to continue the security benefits of both products and simplify deployment for our customers.”
It must be noted that no significant changes will be made in the final version of Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP 2, but this is not to say that you will not encounter problems with the current Release Candidate. It is mainly meant for testing purposes, so expect to encounter problems and bugs (which you should report back to Microsoft). The Redmond software developer plans to bring out the Vista SP2 Final in the second quarter of this year (which could be anywhere from April to June).
Microsoft’s efforts might not be in vain, but they might prove to be their undoing. What I mean is that since Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 proved to be such a big hit, the Redmond company is pouring a lot of effort into the OS. We already know that the next release will be Windows 7 Release Candidate, and reports hint that this will be Build 7048. Rumor on the web also has it that a final version of Windows 7 will be pushed out by the end of the year.
Windows Communications Manager on the Windows Client Communications Team, Brandon LeBlanc comments: “In the very near future, we will be making the RC broadly available for anyone to download and test. SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 include updates that have been delivered since the release of SP1, as well as support for new types of hardware and emerging standards. As we’ve described since we first talked about SP2, we’ve taken your feedback into account when developing SP2. Specifically, we expect SP2 to continue the security benefits of both products and simplify deployment for our customers.”
It must be noted that no significant changes will be made in the final version of Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP 2, but this is not to say that you will not encounter problems with the current Release Candidate. It is mainly meant for testing purposes, so expect to encounter problems and bugs (which you should report back to Microsoft). The Redmond software developer plans to bring out the Vista SP2 Final in the second quarter of this year (which could be anywhere from April to June).
Microsoft’s efforts might not be in vain, but they might prove to be their undoing. What I mean is that since Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 proved to be such a big hit, the Redmond company is pouring a lot of effort into the OS. We already know that the next release will be Windows 7 Release Candidate, and reports hint that this will be Build 7048. Rumor on the web also has it that a final version of Windows 7 will be pushed out by the end of the year.
