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Windows XP SP2 Delayed Until Late 2004

Posted by michael on from the day-late-and-dollar-short dept.

Aiua writes "BetaNews is reporting that Microsoft has pushed back the release date for the second Windows XP service pack to the third quarter of 2004 without giving any reasons." Update: 08/19 12:52 GMT by M : Another article claims it will be out three months earlier, no later than June 2004.

15 of 261 comments (clear)

  1. Microsoft doesn't need to have reason.... by brandonlp · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Reasons... who needs reasons? When you're Microsoft, you don't have to give reasons for anything. Especially in a time where you're coasting through a big vulnerability in your operating systems without really providing many answers. I figure by late-2004, a clean install of XP with SP1 should have about 50 additional critical updates for it (... there are 27 since SP1), and the entire installation process will take 2 hours (an hour to install XP w/ SP1 slipstreamed.. and an hour to install the 50 updates). What a shame.

  2. Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Could it be some unknown vulnerabilities that need to be patched or need bugs in their patches fixed? In SP1, they silently fixed some serious "script kiddie" internet explorer vulnerabilities that they would rather not admit to having. Could it be that they're trying to do this again?

  3. Register Reports a leak of Service Pack 2 by gokulpod · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The Register reported on 28 March this year that a service pack 2 build has been leaked. So if the Service Pack is more or less ready, what is Microsoft going to incorporate into it in 1.5 years ?

    --
    My mom never taught me to sign.
  4. One more push-back and SP2==Longhorn? by Delgul · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Convenient...

  5. Win XP SP2 = Longhorn? by narratorDan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The story is basically saying that SP2 will incorporate things that MS "innovated" in the last year. Firewalls, anti-virus, etc, all stuff thats also supposed to be in Longhorn. Silly.

    --
    "If you're not confused by quantum mechanics, you really don't understand it." - Niels Bohr
  6. Re:Without reason? by DrunkenPenguin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How is that a reason? The exploit that worm used was fixed months ago.

    Yeah, it was fixed about a month ago, but this recent incident that had a huge effect on their customers _must have_ increased their willingness to improve the security of their products once and for all - thus the delay. Or perhaps I'm just daydreaming.. I don't know.

  7. Microsoft acting odd by cr@ckwhore · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Something strange is happening at Microsoft ...

    IE development ended (sort of)
    Outlook express development ended
    Service packs under long delay

    Just an observation.

    --
    Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
    1. Re:Microsoft acting odd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
      Indeed. Some guesses based on what I've read and the rumormill:

      1. IE is a huge, bloated, insecure, hard-to-maintain product. Time to take the advantages of IE (e.g. DOM APIs) and integrate with the advantages of more traditional APIs (e.g. Win32) In the next year, we'll probably see announcements of a new XHTML-like language that is all Microsoft's own. And we'll probably see it as a primary programming API in the next release of Windows.
      2. OE is still being developed due to outcry from users. But again, it was an issue of too bloated and insecure: lots of it has to be re-written.
      3. People at MS are indeed getting more serious about security, but given the company's past history of ignoring such issues, they've got a decades-long uphill battle to fight. Delaying releases in favor of better quality assurance is a must given how upset customers are at the moment.
    2. Re:Microsoft acting odd by Chester+K · · Score: 2, Interesting

      IE development ended (sort of)
      Outlook express development ended
      Service packs under long delay

      Just an observation.

      The economy is slowing down and they're focusing on things that will make them money, perhaps? At one point 20% of Microsoft's development force was working on Internet Explorer and related technology --- they can't keep up that rate of development on loss leaders -- especially when shareholders are getting anxious. After paying out dividends for the first time a while back, they're starting to act like more of a blue chip company and less like an innovative (I know, I know, spare me the sarcasm) company.

      --

      NO CARRIER
  8. Competition ruling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting
    SP1 was mainly motivated by ruling against MS in the states (e.g., the "useful" ability to hide internet explorer if you so chose). My guess is that, amongst other things, SP2 may well be a fix for the currently pending European court case. Hence, they are hanging on to see what they can get away with.

    And by the way guys, this mindless MS bashing just isn't funny anymore. It long since ceased to be Redmond that was made to look stupid by these comments, it is now Slashdot itself, and by extension Linux. Which is a shame. True Linux and Open Source advocates would do well to consider some basic notions from the field of public relations.

  9. Re:One thing I don't really get... by Matrix272 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What I don't understand is why the process of discovering, downloading, and applying security patches has to be as difficult as it currently is.

    Use the Red Hat Network Update Agent sometime if you want to see an updating process that's REALLY a pain in the ass.

    For example, when trying to find a patch for the vulnerability that Blaster is currently exploiting on many systems...

    Going to Google and typing "blaster patch" isn't easy enough? Considering the news coverage it's getting, you'd think that by going to any news site and doing a search for Blaster, you'd get some clue where to look next. Or, you could do what I did... SUBSCRIBE TO CERT. That way, you get the vulnerability notification the same day all the other professional system administrators do.

    the vulnerability I thought it was, then find a download link, then be presented with a multipage license agreement -- all for one fix.

    Two points I'd like to make. First, when is there a vulnerability that gets airtime on the major news channels (like CNN, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.) that should NOT be fixed immediately? Second, clicking 3 times (Windows Update, Scan for Patches, Install) is a lot simpler than the 10 or so that Red Hat requires. (I only have Red Hat Network to compare to, so if there's any better way to update RH8, someone let me know.)

    My thought is that Microsoft would do better to be a little more proactive in their approach.

    You mean besides the bubble that pops up near the clock that says "You have updates. Click here to install."? You'd prefer a popup window that takes up 80% of the screen when it boots that says "Jesus Fucking Christ, update your system, dumbass!"?

    I'd appreciate having the machine automatically seek out the patches I need and apply them (particularly the most critical) without requiring my intervention...

    It already can do that. When you format a new machine, the first or second time it boots, a little bubble pops up near the clock that says "Set up automatic updates." One of the options (out of the 3) is "Automatically download and install patches." For those of us that don't know where to look without formatting our systems, that's under Start, Control Panel, System, Automatic Updates. I prefer to take a look at the updates before I install them though... just my preference.

    --
    "It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
  10. Java: by MindStalker · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Wasn't this the release that the courts told them they had to include Sun's official version of Java in?? MHMMMMM!!

  11. Can SOMEONE explain why MSFT doesn't use Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Apple has the right idea, with OS X based on FreeBSD

    Why doesn't MSFT do this? Imagine the next version of Windows based on BSD, Linux, etc...wouldn't that be the ultimate for MSFT? Doing that would kill Red Hat, Mandrake, etc, etc...look at how many Linux people already like OS X...I just don't get how MSFT people aren't thinking about fighting fire with fire and killing the Linux movement by building a *good* OS based on BSD, or Linux...

    Anyone got an explanation?

  12. Re:Without reason? by Amomynos+Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What everyone seems to forget, is the new/re-installations of Windows XP. I for example updated the Windows from ME to XP (about time), and the update went fine...except that Tiny Personal Firewall didn't work anymore. 3 minutes after installation, before I was able to even connect to Windows Update, I got the nice RPC shutdown message of blaster. Oh but if the worm would've been more destructive, I think it would impact the installations of Windows...hmm...

  13. "without giving any reasons" by mnemotronic · · Score: 2, Interesting
    1. Possible reasons
    2. Technical
      The product isn't ready for users. Note that this didn't stop them from shipping Bob, ME, XP-SP1, or other problematic software. (I apologize for leaving anyones favorite "what a piece of c**p" off the list)
    3. Business
      Shipping SP2 now would negatively impact the bottom line. Would I perform an very expensive upgrade to the next OS (Longhorn) if I had just installed SP2?
    4. Business (part deux)
      Delaying SP2 will help the bottom line. In 2004, MS can offer users a choice between a patch of that pesky ol' XP, or The Fabulous, Great, Incredible New, Improved OS that Does So Much More,More,More. Yea, it's hype, but never, EVER underestimate the power of the Microsoft marketing department.
    --
    The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.