Windows Vista SP2 RC may be in the hands of testers as we speak
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted January 30th 2009 3:03PM
posted January 30th 2009 3:03PM
Sure, the big hubbub's been Windows 7 (give us some time and we'll figure out how to install it on a toaster!) but Microsoft is betting that quite a few folks will be stranded in Vistaland (Vista Town? Vista Village? The dreaded Vista Flats?) for some time to come, and they'll need provisions -- like blankets, candles, water, and service packs. According to Tech Arp, Windows Vista SP2 RC is meeting testers sometime this week as an escrow build, which means that the public could see this thing as soon as early Q2 this year. You've been warned...[Via Computerworld]
I heard it has build number 7000?
The "mojave experiment" is going on worldwide
After the whole Mojave thing, I really wouldn't put it past them.....
I can just see it now....
Dear Everyone,
So we haven't been totally honest with you. This version of Windows 7 you've all been testing isn't actually our newest OS, we've been keeping that under wraps for now. Instead, you've all been testing the latest beta of our operating system, Windows Vista with the newest service pack, SP2. Thanks for playing!
Enjoy!
Steve
I was totally thinking the same thing about Vista SP2 and Windows 7 being the Mojave Project on a much larger scale. I've been thinking this ever since reports came out showing that XP handled some benchmarking tests better than both Vista and 7 and when another report showed that 7 might have the same multiple flavors of the OS that Vista has. But then how are they getting 7 to run so good without all the RAM?
I also have been thinking for some time that a good price point for Windows 7 would be like $20. Seriously, if you're upgrading from one version of Vista to the comparable version of 7, then one Jackson should cover you. Sure I'd expect them to charge a whole lot more for an upgrade from XP or a prior OS as well as full versions of 7 but let's face it the buyers of Vista have already paid for the development of 7 since they obviously didn't spend a whole lot developing Vista (or Vista with SP1 for that matter).
"I've been thinking this ever since reports came out showing that XP handled some benchmarking tests better than both Vista and 7"
That would be the test where Randal LOL Kennedy used different rigs to test the operating systems wouldn't it?
As for the Mojave experiment, it just confirmed what we always knew: People are stupid and gullible and will, in a sheep like fashion, believe anything they're told until they actually use the damn thing.
we will see
WHATS Vista?
If Microsoft did that there would be some serious questions - not from the tech community but from the market regulators. To showcase a product that is supposedly a new version (and therefore a new line of revenue from upgrades and new licenses) and then to say "hey, it was just a service pack" (and therefore not a new line of revenue) would be misleading the market.
That would be pretty cool.
I'm actually running the beta of Vista SP2 on my laptop computer and have been now fir quite sometime. The build number is 6002.
There are people without toasters that have Vista?
there may be. however, there may also be people with churros and conquistador clown shoes with vista. in the real world -highly doubtful.
Well... Toaster is the term they use as a sample to show off all the cool driver functionality.
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/driver/foundation/toastersamp.mspx
Install it on a cylon!
OneLove: According to you, it's "soooooooooooooo 2008!" ... idiot.
"The dreaded Vista Flats"
Amusing, since the first time I installed Ultimate I had to upgrade from Business using their recommended Flat Install process...
Who let the iEye Assclown in, i told everyone to be quiet and lock the door behind them!
OS X is so limited... your just a loser.
iEye...(stupid user name BTW),
the biggest selling point of all the new Mac's is.......wait for it.......... it can run Windows!!
Yeah...Let's buy an over priced computer so I can run boot camp...turd!!
And before you say anything else YOU think is witty... I use both Windows AND Mac (as well as Linux) but I do not waste my time talking smack on forums....in other words....GROW UP!!
I've only used Vista for a total of maybe 45 minutes, but I downloaded the Windows 7 beta, and it kind of seems to me like Windows 7 should be called "Vista SP2". Am I wrong? It's pretty solid, but it just seems like they fixed Vista and changed some UI again.
and how often does a service pack actually make significant UI changes?
It doesn't, so get over it.
7 != Vista SP2
It's like saying XP was a service pack for 2000.
Don't be an asshole about it.
Anywho, how often does a "brand new" operating system do basically what the last one was supposed to do, but with a fatter taskbar.
All the time.....Every windows release does everything the previous version does (with a few exceptions) and adds more.
I would be interested in getting a copy of this just to see if they actually fixed the issue that they said they would not in the bug reports about "Safely Remove Devices". In the CPA beta of SP2 certain none removable devices such as built in Wireless Network Cards and Graphics adapters would show up in the list of device that could be removed. They did not show up in the list in SP1 nor the original RTM. The issue has been reported with several Lenovo laptops, but Microsoft insists there is nothing wrong.
I didn't see this fix in the list of hotfixes for SP2 beta either. Luckily this is not an issue in SP1 or Windows 7 on the same hardware, wtf Microsoft?
Indeed. This was one feature I loved seeing in 7, that I can't wait to see in Vista. Little things go such a long way.
That's an issue that's been happening all the way back to XP. It's due to bad IDE controller drivers, not necessarily a flaw in Windows.
I have the RC Candidate installed and it just completely improves vista to the point of excellence. Of course some minor bugs are still present but overall the whole feeling of the software is improved and quicker. Vista does have a sour image on the genral public
but a lot of the negatiitiy will be put to rest with this release.
And after being a beta tester for windows 7 and noticing the improvement I CAN HONESTLY SAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME that microsoft is on to some amazing times ahead.
Have they changed things compared to the beta?
yeah.... I'll wait and see just how close to reality that is. Yes, Vista is generally stable. No, Vista is by no means quick and responsive. RC2 makes it so - great. Right now, I am at the point where I would/will buy Windows 7 when it comes out just to replace the annoyance of Vista.
my vista x64 ultimate runs just fine on my desktop w/8gb of ram :P
Yeah, I got it too, on the 28th, so it's not coming, testers have had it for a few days.
But I agree, I'm much more interested in testing 7. I'm just using SP2 on my 2008 workstation at work. At home I have a Macbook with 7 in bootcamp.
Luckily I don't have Vista but I don't think I'll mind installing 7.
Vista is soooooooooooooo 2008!
Don't you have to install 7 from vista sp1? Installing from XP or other OS's may ruin ur PC, That's what I heard
Ummm.. Hello? Del boca Vista?
You think you can keep me out of Del Boca Vista?!
George: Hey, hey, how was Florida?
Morty: Well, we just bought a new place down there.
Estelle: I know, we were looking at the brochure.
Morty: What?
Helen: Why, you thinking of moving?
Frank: Not really.
Morty: Because if you are, you shouldn't. There's nothing available in that
development.
Frank: Are you telling me there's not one condo available in all of Del Boca
Vista?
Morty: That's right. They went like hotcakes.
Frank: How'd you get yours?
Morty: Got lucky.
Frank: Are you trying to keep us out of Del Boca Vista?!
here's the rest of the episode:
http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheShowerhead.htm
I don't get it. Why is it with horses, when they have a broken leg, they just put the poor thing down. Is it humane to keep patching up Vista so it keeps hobbling along? At least with Windows Millennium Bill had the good sense to put a DNR on its drivers license. Not a single service pack was released for that dud - it just seems cruel to keep the hopes up of Vista dupes.
Could you give me a personal example of "hobbling along"? I'm genuinely curious where this all comes from. I waited forever to upgrade because of all this hate I was reading about but when I installed it my computer ran just as well as before and gained a bit of stablility, a nicer interface and a nice media center.
@neodorian
I completely agree with you. True, I have a rather nice computer (AMD X2 5200+ w/ 8 GB of DDR2 800), but 64 bit Vista is very nice. Call me shallow but I like the UI with Aero a lot, and the 64 bit support with backwards compatibility for 32 programs works very well.
I was supremely annoyed by UAC, but it is rather simple to turn off now. While this makes Vista less secure, it is still more secure than XP.
As for games, I have not really seen a decrease in performance and its nice being able to run in DX10 mode without having to download some hacked files for windows XP.
Overall, I cant really say I have had any problems with Vista... I think 90% of the people who rip on Vista either have not tried it since SP1 (which fixed a lot of issues), with the latest drivers (many companies have finally gotten on the ball and have nice Vista drivers), or have not tried Vista at all.
I feel that Vista got a bad reputation due to bad 3rd party drivers at launch, some rather annoying bugs in the release version, and the fact that they hyped up the release then delivered a product that was sub-par many people's expectations, not to mention the whole "Vista Capable" debacle.
Oh, and I forgot to add this, but basically, if you have not bought Vista yet, I would not bother. I managed to get a nice cheap copy through school ($15 for Vista Ultimate), but with w7 only a year or so away, if you have lasted this long on XP, why bother upgrading twice?
SP1 has been running solid for me since I finally upgraded 4 months ago. Maybe that's why I never saw the issues everyone else seems to have. I put 7 on my low-end Thinkpad and it runs just as well but it's still a dual-core 2.4 and 2gb so maybe I need to try it on something even older to notice a difference. I'm wondering what SP2 is going to fix as I haven't seen any crashes or slowdown and that is even using it on a single computer that is my primary desktop and powers my home theater simultaneously.
In what world is that considered low-end?
I've been running Vista since release and I never saw the bugs everyone was complaining about...
Discounting 3rd party vendors, there was never a day when Vista wasn't superior to XP.
The sheeple can bite me. =)
Vista has sold like 60 million copies world wide, with a minority downgrading to XP (those that actually know how to), so I'm guessing they don't want a ton of angry customers.
Uh... try 250 million at least.
I hated XP. The blue screens, the freezes, the overall old-ness of the OS. When Vista came out I was thrilled to have something new to play with. Big changes, a totally new UI, even the bugs were fun because they were new and exciting. Windows 7 isn't winning me over though, since it is basically a polished version of Vista. I don't even know if I'll jump to 7 when it launches. Vista works fine for me now, why spend the money on what is looking to be nothing more than a service pack? Heck, the biggest feature everyone is talking about now is the superbar, and I hate the thing.
Oh well, I'll enjoy my time in the Vista Mountains.
"even the bugs were fun because they were new and exciting"
WTH!? That's like saying you enjoyed that new sandwich someone handed you with the mold on it. It was fun and exciting trying to eat around the problem area.
You case with XP is some kind of an exception, not a general rule. In the past 7 years, I swear I never had a BSOD on XP, not once!
Wow Matt, what have you been doing with your PC? I've been using XP for over 7 years now and it's solid as a rock. It doesn't get much better than SP3. I've never EVER had a BSOD on XP. I used Vista for about a month and hated it. It's a horrible resource hog and it's networking stability is a joke. I'm now using 7 and it's a God send. So much better than Vista and solid as a rock for a beta. Hell in the state it's in now it could go to production right now and still be better than Vista. It's lightening quick, uses very little resources, and is a worthy successor to XP (unlike the joke that is Vista). Vista is a joke, it's this generation's ME. It's days are numbered.