Windows Vista RC1 Complete

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Posted by ryuzaki0 on Friday September 1, 2006 @09:47AM 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."

26 of 292 comments (clear)

Testing phase.... by LiquidCoooled · 2006-09-01 09:48 · Score: 5, Funny

DOOOoooooo DEEEEeeeee DAAAAaaaa Ting

Oh Crap, sorry forgot to turn the volume down.

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liqbase :: faster than paper
Touching hundreds of millions of lives... by Tackhead · 2006-09-01 09:49 · Score: 5, Funny

> Windows Vista is going to touch hundreds of millions of lives all around the world.
"Bad touch! Bad touch!"
1. Re:Touching hundreds of millions of lives... by Who235 · 2006-09-01 09:57 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Trackhead, point out on the doll where Vista touched you. . .
Release Candidate? by xazeru · 2006-09-01 09:50 · Score: 5, Insightful

If Microsoft knows that there is more work to do, why call it a release candidate?
1. Re:Release Candidate? by Opportunist · 2006-09-01 09:55 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Right, usually they call something like this "final"
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
2. Re:Release Candidate? by Kesch · 2006-09-01 09:59 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Most of the work left is reclassifying all the bug reports as "features."
  
  --
  If this signature is witty enough, maybe somebody will like me.
3. Re:Release Candidate? by dvice_null · 2006-09-01 10:10 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  > RC's are usually versions that have all the core functionality implemented and are ready for testing.
  
  No, that is called a beta version. RC = Release Candidate means what it means. If no new problems are found by the testers, it will be the final release, or so it should be. RC version doesn't need to be bug free, but it shouldn't have any bugs that are marked as stoppers of the final release.
4. Re:Release Candidate? by nine-times · 2006-09-01 10:50 · 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.
RC? by dustball23 · 2006-09-01 09:53 · 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.
1. Re:RC? by Aadain2001 · 2006-09-01 10:01 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  It's simply a business descision. They are waaaaaaaaaaaay behind and have OEMs and major developers on their backs for something they can use to develope for/validate against. Vista will never be "done". Five years from now we'll still be "finishing" the OS with bug patches and feature creep. I think the article simple ment that what was left was fine-tuning of small features, insuring as much "correct" behavior as possible, and re-compiling without debug code.
  
  --
  Space for rent, inquire within
Re:I just don't care anymore... by daeg · 2006-09-01 09:56 · Score: 4, Funny

One useless "I moved to Linux, HAHA!" post down, 499 to go.
Too late by ccmay · 2006-09-01 09:57 · Score: 5, Funny

I was talking to a half dozen of my partners yesterday. Four of us already had a MacBook, and the other three were planning to buy one.
Every one of us was a former Windows user, and had a copy of Windows 2000 or XP which they planned to run under Parallels for connectivity to our company system, but not one of them cared a fig for Vista, and nobody intended to run any kind of Windows natively with BootCamp.
I predict this will be Microsoft's biggest flop ever. You heard it here first.
-ccm

--
Too much Law; not enough Order.
1. Re:Too late by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · 2006-09-01 10:29 · 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.
This one's a keeper. by Anonymous Coward · 2006-09-01 09:58 · Score: 5, Funny

It's been nearly two weeks since a security patch has been released for Vista Beta. I think we have a winner. A few weeks of clear sailing and this sucker's ready for Gold. I predict all will be quiet on the security front until the Holiday season, when all our high-end fancy new computers come online with nice, shiny new Vistas.

And when I say "our" computers I trust you know exactly what I mean.
Could be worst... by __aaclcg7560 · 2006-09-01 10:00 · Score: 5, Interesting

On several occasions at Atari, a producer would try to slip in an Alpha-Beta-GoldRelease-Omega build candidate to get their performance bonus even though the title was four months behind schedule. Go figure.
more like.. by doti · 2006-09-01 10:03 · Score: 4, Funny

One soul saved, 4999999999 to go.

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factor 966971: 966971
Oops by PhrostyMcByte · 2006-09-01 10:05 · Score: 4, Informative

And it still has the ridiculus mandatory driver signing, forcing freeware/open source developers to shell out $500 for a certificate if they want to make drivers that work on x64. All for their precious trusted computing. Wouldn't want those evil x64 criminals installing drivers to rip hd-dvds would they?
Re:Which version is this... by __aaclcg7560 · 2006-09-01 10:06 · Score: 5, Funny

Redundant? If it's the same version that was released earlier this week, it would be redundant. If not the same version, maybe Jim Allchin is looking at a new Mac OS X "Leopard" build and mistaking it for Windows Vista?
Re:Freeware? by 99BottlesOfBeerInMyF · 2006-09-01 10:06 · Score: 5, Informative

Beta 2 is available to everyone...

From microsoft.com: "Thank you for your interest in Windows Vista. The Customer Preview Program is now closed. We have reached our program capacity and no new orders are being accepted. We apologize for any inconvenience."

It looks like a limited number of beta testers for the beta and for the RC, not "everyone."
Where Vista Touched Me. by twitter · 2006-09-01 10:14 · Score: 5, Interesting

Trackhead, point out on the doll where Vista touched you. . .

In the wallet, of course. M$ is going to waste $6.2 billion promoting what's looking more and more like XP SP3, super digital restriction. While I won't directly pay for that, many will. Schools, government and everyone not bright enough to use free software will pay. They will pass that cost along as taxes and higher prices. As Steve Baller likes to say, the upfront cost of software are just the beginning and all of the tremendous inefficiencies of Windoze will also be passed along in higher prices and poorer service. I don't even want to think of the costs to the economy that comes from Microsoft's inability to design a network safe OS are. All of the above easily adds up to multiples of M$'s annual net revenue.

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Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Re:Freeware? by eggoeater · 2006-09-01 10:31 · Score: 5, Funny

I don't think you're looking at the correct web site.

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$7.95/mo, 200 GB disk, 2TBxfer, MySQL, PHP, RoR.
Re:Which version is this... by Kippesoep · 2006-09-01 10:31 · Score: 5, Funny

It's newer. The build number is higher.
Mr. Montoya, you're on in 5... by Mark_in_Brazil · 2006-09-01 10:35 · Score: 4, Funny

Exactly.

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."

"You keep using those words. I do not think they mean what you think they mean."

--
"It is nice to know that the computer understands the problem. But I would like to understand it too." --Eugene Wigner
Re:I just don't care anymore... by Kangie · 2006-09-01 11:12 · Score: 5, Funny

500 useless posts on the wall
500 useless posts,
Mod one down to the ground
499 useless posts on the wall.. ;)
Vista prophesies from the classics by Freed · 2006-09-01 13:20 · 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.
Oh, please Apple execs... Please... by istartedi · 2006-09-01 13:36 · Score: 4, Interesting

Pull your heads out of your asses and sell OS-X for generic PCs. You could clean up at $300/copy. Virtually no marginal cost. It'll replace the iPod revenues you're losing because everyone who wants one, has one. But nooOOOooo. You're so hell bent on emulating the losing business model followed by Sun. Oh, please... what do we have to do? Fly out there, slap you in the face and put smelling salts under your noses? The gorilla has eaten a bad bannanna. He's down. He won't stay down forever. You'll look back on this, and you'll never forgive yourselves for not having kicked him while he's down, cuz you know he's gonna get back up.

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For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?