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Windows XP SP3 Postponed Until 2008
Rockgod quotes an article saying "With Microsoft now saying that its next major service pack for Windows XP will not ship until 2008, some Windows users are wondering whether the software upgrade will ever be released." and then later "Michael Cherry, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, agrees that Microsoft may very well decide to drop XP Service Pack 3. "It absolutely could happen. Microsoft is under no obligation to produce any service packs, ever," he explains. "They feel that because these fixes are available through the auto-update that there's less need to create a service pack."
Provide an update rollout? Really, have you seen the massive amount of updates required to apply against SP2 on a fresh install?
"It ain't a war against drugs.it's a war against personal freedom" --Bill Hicks
The whole SP thing is a throwback to the bad old days of 28.8k modems and CDs by post. Now we can add the fixes as they come along so why bother with a monolithic chunk of code that must be a testing nightmare for MS as well as corporate end users?
The only thing I can see that will be missed is that SPs often slipped in a new feature or two but no doubt someone somewhere thought it would be good business to stop that and insist people plonk down the $ for Vista. As per usual with suits, that's short term thinking. If you're being obliged to do a full OS upgrade you may as well consider other options like Linux.
I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
Seriously, are there problems? I've not run into any in a long, long time.
Oh, no. I shouldn't have said that.
If Nalgene water bottles are outlawed, only outlaws will have Nalgene water bottles.
They killed Windows NT 4.0 SP7 in the ßeta process
They killed Windows 2000 SP5 in the pre-ßeta stage
Given this track record of killing off Service Packs shortly before they are released, as some (including me) might suspect in an effort to drive adoption of their newer software (which makes them money unlike a service pack) I'll be extremely surprised if Windows XP SP3 is ever released.
IMO, what they are saying now is just lip service/stalling and they have already made the decision.
Why bother at all? The next breathe M$ makes is that Vista is going to be out very soon since RC2 is out and is the final release before vista goes gold?
"They feel that because these fixes are available through the auto-update that there's less need to create a service pack."
Yes, much more fun for all those admins at high secure locations (without internet access). It is almost impossible to install a new Windows machine using XP, since you will have to do a lot of updating after the installation itself. Even if you have a dedicated server this is a real pain, since you will have to wait for all the tiny updates to complete. It's hard enough to get Internet Explorer or DirectX installed as it is.
And those with only a modem will really enjoy this. Previously you just bought a CD-ROM with the service pack. Not anymore it seems.
Microsoft will not produce SP3 because of very simple reason: they want Vista to replace XP. It's cash, a lot of it.
Everybody knows that Win XP has more holes than swiss cheese. And it started to get Joe User. So they will upgrade just because of being scared of 'all those viruses, you know...'. So they'll be effectively forced to buy new system. And Miscosoft will be able to withdraw support for XP faster - which is good for them - they don't earn any cash from supporting it and it costs a lot.
I think they'll not make the same mistake like with Win2000 that is still quite alive and kicking because of good compatibility with XP and SP3 they released for it.
We can expect that Vista will quite fast become quite 'not exactly' compatible with XP. And without SP3 situation will get only worse. That's called strategy. On a big scale.
"an experienced, industrious, ambitious, and often, quite often, picturesque liar" - Mark Twain
I thought I heard that Vista was coming out in january? Whew, close call! Here I was thinking that I needed to make a vista strategy for the company, but after hearing this and knowing Vista wont be out till 2008, thats a big load off my back.
Sounds like what happened with Windows 2000. Service pack 5 never materialised, but a security roll-up package was released to somewhat satisfy major customers. My guess is that the same thing will happen with Windows XP. A security roll-up package will be released at some point because the number of post-SP2 patches is approaching insane amounts. But other than that, Microsoft will be far, far too busy pushing Longhorn Server out of the door.
Service packs are largely comprised of all the service updates and software patches that MS releases between major service packs. They're basically a "catchup" package that allows people to ensure that their software is completely up to date up to a certain time. They occasionally bundle in extra stuff, but IIRC they didn't do that all too often before XP SP2.
Since people's machines are nominally downloading and applying these updates automatically, there's less of a need to release a "catchup" package, since most people are supposedly already caught up.
Yes, I'm sure Joe Sixpack is going to switch to Apple/Linux because SP3 for XP wasn't released...
It were 2 updates in the first run (new windows installer and new update-system), then 67 critical patches in the second run, then 6 critical patches in the third run.
Because downloading a single service pack is somewhat quicker for a new machine than it checking for every single update required and the longer an unpatched new machine is on the net the quicker it can get rooted. Plus with lots of little patches what you really end up with is myriad versions of the OS since not everyone will have every patch , leading to god knows how many minor (or not) glitches and issues with other software. A single service pack can be considered a fairly major OS upgrade which you either have or you don't have , your PC is either compliant or it isn't.
Yes, I'm sure Joe Sixpack is going to switch to Apple/Linux because SP3 for XP wasn't released...
Unlikely, but the previous poster did not mention who he thought might be motivated. Johnny Systems Engineer might be more motivated to migrate his enterprise to Linux if SP3 is never released and he must choose between upgrading all machines and replacing many of them outright, or finally funding that Linux migration the junior sysadmin has been trying to sell him on.
But then again, without any real competition, why should they care? Once again, it's clear that Microsoft's primary obligation is to its stockholders -- you can be sure that they're doing the very best they can to maximize their profits.
Maybe not but many people might when Microsoft decides in 2k8 that it not only isn't releasing an SP but it's EOL'ing XP. It's perception, people. Right now a lot of folks are thinking, "Okay, so now I'll be adding a shitload of patches after I install with no foreseeable time when they will be rolled together and make my life easier."
The fact is, Microsoft is making dumb decisions. Threatening to cripple Vista and now this. Personally, I hope they do everything they have said they will do.
Maybe people will wake up and switch to SOMEthing else.
The main reason is because service packs can do what they call "slipstreaming". You apply the service pack against the original install CD, create an image from that, and burn yourself a new CD. When you install from your new CD you already have everything that was part of the service pack, so you have a lot less that needs to be downloaded after the install is complete. Since the files on the CD were updated, it doesn't take any longer to install the OS than normal (versus waiting 15 minutes for an SP to apply even when it's local). Great for admins who frequently build machines.
Don't tell me to just use ghost or dd or some other disk imaging solution. I've found that a fresh install is a lot cleaner (no filesystem resizing / conversion, no SID issues, no cruft in your image from when you logged in to set stuff up). Combined with a script to tweak some default settings and group policy to automatically install the appropriate software, it's just as automated as an image and doesn't take much longer. Waiting for 70 security updates to install (even from a local WSUS mirror) is probably the longest part of the whole process.
This has to do with WGA. With a service pack, you can just burn a cd, install Windows XP without the network plugged and then upgrade the installation to the latest SP without having to connect to the network.
M$ doesn't want you to be able to do that. They want you to use the network updater so they can test the validity of your license.
Whether you are in a highly secure setting without internet access or behind a modem in a 3rd world country, they don't care. They want to check your license.
When his defense asked, "Which computer has Jon Johansen trespassed upon?" the answer was: "His own."
Actually, even Joe Sixpack is pretty tired of crashing spyware ridden computers. And the very moment they see another option, they are sure to at least look at it. And with Vista's new hardware requirements likely not matching their current hardware, there's yet another possibility he will look at his options before buying a new computer. Apple has become rather affordable as of late and their reputation for being easy will do a lot in the way of bolstering confidence. And if he actually talks to someone and finds that a mac can also run Windows, he'll be sold.
That's a lot of IFs, and I don't expect a huge number of people to fall within those cracks, but I think the numbers will increase and become rather noticable.
I wasn't going to reply, but I kept seeing more and more of the same posts as I was reading through. Try a test. Connect a simple out-of-the-box router to a DSL/Cable connection with default settings. Connect an unpatched Windows XP SP0 machine to the router and make sure it has web access. Don't use that computer. See how long it takes to get rooted/malware. Answer? It NEVER will. Because the router blocks all unsolicited incoming traffic, unless you've monkeyed with the config to change this. The only way a computer can get rooted/malwared through a default-settings router is by stupid user tricks, or by another already infected machine on the NATed network.... which would have got infected by stupid user tricks.
That's true, but only to a certain extent. Will the training/problems that arise with training the user base of a company to use Linux be better or worse for a company than simply upgrading their machines to vista?
It goes to show that one shouldn't listen to the Anti Malware manufacturers scare stories!
init 11 - for when you need that edge.
Most people who are responsible for such systems are presumably intelligent enough to slipstream the latest Service Pack AND all current security patches onto a WinXP installation CD which can then be used to install a machine - in fact, this would be the recommended procedure, as it results not only in the machine having the latest SP from the start but also all the miscellaneous security updates which have been published since the last SP.
Remember, a fresh install of Windows XP + Service Pack 2 is still vulnerable to known exploits. Being able to incorporate all the security updates which are available at the time the machine is brought online results in a signifigantly more secure situation (although Microsoft's well-documented history of ignoring certain inconvenient security holes until they get their collective nose rubbed in them would still make me nervous, personally).
Of course, this only works for i386 versions of Windows - from what I can gather, it's not possible to slipstream the x86_64 version. If I've got that wrong, somebody please correct me (and provide a link to instructions).
Unless you are building that box in a lab which is ALREADY infected.
When I was in college we had our own removal hard drives and it wasn't that uncommon for the students to bring them home, get infected with EVERYTHING and then bring it to the lab.
Sometimes being secure out of the box, even for the box, is important.
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
you can be sure that they're doing the very best they can to maximize their profits.
Hardly.
If Microsoft wanted to maximise their profits they would have jumped at the chance to split the company up so the Windows team wouldn't be able to piss in everyone else's milk, and all the other products they've had to drop or cripple because they couldn't be turned into life-support for Windows or Office could be created and sold. Microsoft is desperate for a way to get people to Buy More Windows, everything they've done since XP shipped has been tinged with "oh my god, what are we going to do now"... and Vista is more of the same.
Three or five "Baby Bills" would end up making more money for the shareholders than one big Microsoft.
I live in a rural area where most of the people are on dialup. I like to provide my friends and family with the security patches so they need so they don't have to spend weeks downloading them through dialup. A service pack would make this job a LOT easier, but as it is I have to rely on AutoPatcher to handle this.
Microsoft doesn't seem to want to make it easy. If you want to get your patches from Microsoft, you have to either use Windows Update on every single machine, or sift through hundreds of pages to individually download the updates you need. It shouldn't be that hard.
I have four computers running Windows. I want to download updates ONCE for all of them, without wasting bandwidth and without all the hassle that Microsoft wants to put you through to do that. AutoPatcher does this (and hats off to those guys for doing so) so why can't Microsoft get their act together and start putting out something similar?
You're completely missing the fact that this means that SP3 will come out a year after Vista ships. This means that, in effect, enterprise systems will have to decide if they want to remain with unpatched XP systems or upgrade to Vista.
This is obvious planning by MS to not cannibalize their Vista sales by giving an "incentive" to "upgrade" to Vista.
There are training issues with Vista as well. It does not look just like XP. Some users freak out when the "screens" are different. If someone picked a windows like environment such as KDE, end users might believe its the new Windows version. They still have to learn new screens either way. Remember the new MS Office version also has a face lift. IE7 is now different looking.. the transition from IE6 to firefox, IE7 or another browser is the same. This is the time to do it. Microsoft has set everyone up to switch. They felt they had to change the UI to get people to upgrade and it might just cost them a few percent market share in the long run.
MidnightBSD: The BSD for Everyone
AutoPatcher to the rescue!
It's only an insult if it's not true.
And slipstream this, too: RyanVM's Windows XP Post-SP2 Update Pack. It'll take care of most of those updates left. Makes life a hell fo a lot easier.
The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
--Aristotle
That's a very good point, however, I think we are still a long way away from a mass exodus, or even a small revolt, from windows.
Let's say a company upgrades its machines to vista. Sure, the users will have to learn the new tricks of vista compared to xp but it still is basically the same. Icons on the desktop, start button, menu similiar to the xp-style menu. There's not that much of a learning curve other than to accept the new colors and fonts (and loading times) vista has. As well, the company can still use office 2003 on the machines (or will vista not run office 2003?) and all other xp applications.
If that same company upgrades to Linux with KDE, users will have to learn new mouse gestures, new commands, new applications, and a new layout. openoffice is nice, but certainly not ready for big business. Plus, how about internet explorer-only web apps? As much as people like to complain about those, companies aren't going to just give them up for something else (Yes, theres wine, but that doesn't work all of the time).
See how long it takes to get rooted/malware. Answer? It NEVER will. Because the router blocks...
i did this with a system i had on dial-up. The installation media was a MS Windows XP disc prior to SP 1. I set up the dial-up connection and went immediately to download updates from windowsupdates.com. After half an hour or so, I noticed it was going really slow (even for dial-up). I was already infected with some worm (slammer IIRC). I just let it go and woke up the next day to install the updates / defenses for the worm and everything else. kinda sucks because even though I was as dilligent as possible about installing MS updates, it wasn't possible to avoid infection.
it's kinda funny b/c i was installing Windows b/c of the problems i was having with Linux.
Some users freak out when the "screens" are different.
It's one of those things that get glossed over by most slashdotters, but a good portion of people that use computers for their jobs do not like them and absolutely hate it when anything is changed. Where a lot of us will dual or triple boot different OSes, and spend hours tweaking things to just like we want, only to reformat and start over with something else, these people have invested time to learn how to use a tool and don't want to have to learn how to do something new-- it's just time wasted that could be spend better elsewhere.
I once did an upgrade at a job where I was the entire IT department, and made everyone move to Outlook from what had been a mixed environment, with a good amount of people using Outlook express. One of the buyers was so upset by the switch from Outlook Express to Outlook, that she didn't talk to me for two months.
Eye candy, new features, etc., are only wanted by a subset of the user base, Jenny Officeworker, for the most part, would like things to stay the same, and doesn't want to retrain on something new. In the long run, they'll stick with what they know or the next closest thing if they have to change.
Yes, and the price of a MacMini is very competitive, and lets him use his existing Video, Keyboard and Mouse, and get all the "latest" hardware bells and whistles in a small package.
This space for rent. All reasonable inquiries will be entertained at proprietors discretion.
Well, assuming it's stored in 8-bit ascii it's saving an entire byte by replacing the 00 with a k. Oh, and don't worry what will happen if you used a char[3] when it hits 2k10...
Fear is the mind killer.
you know, this makes me think how to make it easier to migrate. Something like a tool that runs on windows to prepare the system (decrypt EFS files, record hardware and network settings from the registry), maybe even copy files to a remote network share (or to a gmail account created for the purpose).
Then the linux installer would take over, move you from FAT32/NTFS to ext3, restore enough windows config settings to make your linux install look the same. Screen background, saver, favourites, all those things should go over. Printers, fileshares &c, all there.
That'd be slick. Most of it is just configuration settings; we need to pull them from windows, turn them into linux/gnome/kde options.
for XP support. As the Vista License stands my employer already stated we WILL UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES upgrade to the Vista client. We currently have more than 110,000 copies of XP and 4500 copies of 2003. We have turned down EVERY copy and trial offer that M$ has made to premier members and made it known to our M$ rep that Vista is a NO GO at our place. How long the management hold out is unclear but they are standing firm over the re-install issues, and their 'new' rip you off all the way licensing terms.
We've been in serious talks with 2 or 3 unamed Linux providers for some BIG TIME migration *crosses fingers but doesn't hold breath*.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
Another good reason to switch to Linux. Just give 'em a basic WM pre-configured to have all the applications they need to use within easy reach, and you can continue to update the kernel and underlying system, applying security fixes and everything else without ever changing the actual UI. In Linux everything is made up of discrete, interchangable components and you can update some without ever touching others, unlike Windows which is a single monolithic unit, and if you want the latest updates to the kernel, drivers and other underlying systems you have to stick a whole new UI in there in the process, whether you want it or not.