XP-SP3 | The Coffeehouse

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/servicepacks.mspx

SP3 for Windows XP Professional is currently planned for 1H CY2008. This date is preliminary.

...and the point would be ??

NeoTOM

MB wrote:

1H CY2008

...and the point would be ??

what and what

PaoloM

MB wrote:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/servicepacks.mspx

SP3 for Windows XP Professional is currently planned for 1H CY2008. This date is preliminary.

...and the point would be ??

... updates to XP?

Just because Vista is coming out, it doesn't mean that Microsoft will cease to support as much as possible Windows XP. Just look at the date for Windows 2000 SP4, two years after XP was released Smiley

W3bbo

PaoloM wrote:

for Windows 2000 SP4, two years after XP was released

Windows Server 2003 was released 2 years after Windows XP too, what's your point? Smiley

MB

Windows 2000 Service Pack 1
Release date: July 31, 2000

Windows 2000 Service Pack 2
Release date: May 16, 2001

Windows 2000 Service Pack 3
Release date: August 1, 2002

Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
Release date: June 26, 2003

Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 Update Rollup 1
Release date: June 28, 2005

---------------------------------------

Windows XP Service Pack 1
Release Date: September 9, 2002

Windows XP Service Pack 1a
Release Date: February 3, 2003

Windows XP Service Pack 2
Release Date: August 25, 2004

Windows XP Service Pack 3
Release Date: H1, 2008

---------------------------------------

The point is...

Assuming MS follow tradition and post on the last possible day of H1... that's almost 4 years from SP2 to SP3

NeoTOM

IIRC, the point of SP3 is to backport whatever Vista technology possible to XP, like 2KSP4 was in regard to XP (IE6 stuff, etc.)

Edit: seriously, H1 wtf half or something

W3bbo

MB wrote:

The point is...

Assuming MS follow tradition and post on the last possible day of H1... that's almost 4 years from SP2 to SP3

There really isn't any "tradition". WinNT was inherently less secure than Win2K, which was inherently less secure than WinXP, which is (aparently) inherently less secure than WinVi.

Point is, Service Packs are released on a "when we need to" basis, not a "when we feel it looks good on our calendar" one.

CannotResolveSymbol

NeoTOM wrote:

Edit: seriously, H1 wtf half or something

Ding ding! We've got a winner!

They mean 1st half of the 2008 calendar year. Just like Q12008FY would be the first quarter of the 2008 fiscal year.

MB

W3bbo wrote:

Point is, Service Packs are released on a "when we need to" basis

I see... WinXP didn't need a SP for 4 years... ok, if you are happy with that...

ZippyV

It wouldn't hurt if we would get an update rollup while we are waiting for the next service pack. When you have a clean WinXP with SP2 you have too many updates to download on WindowsUpdate.

ericeberg

There definitely needs to be a rollup between now and 2008. There are a few sites keeping up with post-SP2 hotfixes, and last time I checked there were around 300, several of which were for pretty serious stuff like proper power management/performance/operation of dual-core systems (like this one for example). Seeing as that most desktops are being sold with multiple core processors, fixes like this one should be made more readily available.

I know at least some of the motivation may stem from the desire to push people to Vista, but I don't think MS can rightly deny their current customers from obtaining the more important hotfixes easier than they currently can. Personally, I'm going to wait on Vista a bit, let the hardware manufacturers cook their drivers before I upgrade. Plus, a lot of people I know never "buy" Windows in a box. They get the newest Windows with a new computer. In any case,
ROLL UP, ROLL UP, ROLL UP, ROLL UP...

W3bbo

MB wrote:

I see... WinXP didn't need a SP for 4 years... ok, if you are happy with that...

Service Packs are just for convinience, they take just as long to download and install as individual updates, except needing more personal attention.... which is a totally moot point if you're slipstreaming them onto CDs.

....don't modern Windows XP distros come with hotpaches to the closest month anyway?

JChung2006

This is Microsoft's way of saying: we are going to stop working on Windows XP in 2008.

Chadk

JChung2006 wrote:

This is Microsoft's way of saying: we are going to stop working on Windows XP in 2008.

Not gonna happen. They are gonna support XP for waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay longer then that!

ericeberg

W3bbo wrote:

Service Packs are just for convinience, they take just as long to download and install as individual updates, except needing more personal attention.... which is a totally moot point if you're slipstreaming them onto CDs

I disagree. Especially for fixes like the kind I mentioned, it takes way more personal attention to install hotfixes than it does a publicly released, widely distributed service pack. Contacting Microsoft to get a fix is a world apart from just getting it from Windows Update. I can venture some guesses why they're postponing XP SP3 'til 2008 (Vista compat, focus engineering on Vista SP1/Longhorn Server, improve Vista adoption, etc.) but it's really a shame.

MB

W3bbo wrote:

....don't modern Windows XP distros come with hotpaches to the closest month anyway?

Not that I've ever seen... besides, it's hardly the point.

If your XP system goes legs-up and you need to rebuild it, or you just want to do a re-install... you need your distribution, SP2 and... god knows how many downloads, by the end of 4 years.

SPacks & Rollups are more than just convenience, they make the difference between workable and unworkable installation plans.