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Windows Vista RC1 Complete

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the inching-ever-closer dept.

alienfluid writes to mention that RC1 of Windows Vista is now complete. This 'nearly complete' version of the operating system is already available to beta testers, and will be available to everyone else soon. From the article: "You'll notice a lot of improvements since Beta 2. We've made some UI adjustments, added more device drivers, and enhanced performance. We're not done yet, however -- quality will continue to improve. We'll keep plugging away on application compatibility, as well as fit and finish, until RTM. If you are an ISV, RC1 is the build you should use for certifying your application."

5 of 292 comments (clear)

  1. Release Candidate? by xazeru · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If Microsoft knows that there is more work to do, why call it a release candidate?

    1. Re:Release Candidate? by nine-times · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Well, you could have lots of changes and fixes after RC1, but if you shouldn't have any changes and bug fixes *planned* for after RC1. When you label a build as a "release candidate", you're saying it's a candidate for release. If there's no possibility that you'll release that version as "final", then it's not a release candidate.

      You might expect that you'll find some bugs in the release candidate, and that, if none of them are show-stoppers, you'll patch them after release. However, if there are known bug fixes or changes that must be completed before release, then there is no chance you'll actually release that build. therefore, it isn't a candidate for release, and hence it isn't a "release candidate".

      I don't know why people don't understand what the term means. It seems self-explanatory to me. I guess Microsoft just doesn't want to admit that they're still in the beta stage.

  2. RC? by dustball23 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How can something "nearly complete" be a candidate for release? Unless they are considering releasing THAT BUILD, it's not a true RC.

  3. Re:Too late by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Considering that it's mandatory to have Vista to take advantage of DX10, and considering that DX has become a de facto standard in the gaming industry, lots of people are going to eventually be forced to port over to Vista.

    I suspect there will be a lot of developers targeting DirectX 9 for many years to come, since the number of Vista machines will be so much lower than the number of Vista+XP+Me+2K machines. In any case, hopefully some of the developers wise up and move to OpenGL where they don't have to worry about MS refusing to support their graphics API improvements. OpenGL 2.0 will work on all of the above plus the PS2 and PS3 and OS X and Linux.

  4. Vista prophesies from the classics by Freed · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Excerpt from running "dict vista":

    In the groves of their academy, at the end of every
    vista, you see nothing but the gallows. --Burke.
    [1913 Webster]

    The shattered tower which now forms a vista from his
    window. --Sir W. Scott.
    [1913 Webster]

    Rather fitting images for something screwing its users with WGA, DRM, etc.