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Vista SP1 Released to Manufacturing
Reverend Ninja writes "According to the Windows Vista team blog, Windows Vista SP1 has been released to manufacturing. It appears we'll have to wait until mid-March to play with it though, as the team cites that they want everyone to have a 'great install experience'. 'Service Pack 1 brings new improvements that are based on feedback we heard from our customers. It further improves the reliability and performance of Windows Vista. The information we collect thanks to tools like the Customer Experience Improvement Program, Online Crash Analysis, and Windows Error Reporting help us learn about where and when customers are having issues with Windows Vista and the applications that run on it. Since these issues have a direct impact on our customers' experiences, we've invested time and energy to make this better. While Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is an important milestone, we will continue to invest in the continuous improvement process.'"
Come off it already. "great install experience" ... hey, its not a f*cking condo timeshare!
And just to show that I'm not reserving my spleen for venting on Microsoft, This is as stupid as the naming conventions that have taken over in the open-source world, calling different versions by weird names,, like 'Gutsy Gibbon'.
Kevin Smith on Prince
I've used a Vista machine at work for a little while now and don't really see it for being anything other than just another Windows version with cosmetic changes for the types of functions I use it for. I am mystified at the claims made about the operating system. Does anyone have any actual evidence that:
Sales are actually worse than previous Windows versions?
Actual poor performance on systems that actually meet the minimum requirements?
Problems with apps or games that weren't fixed with updates?
Security or virus problems?
Or any of the seemingly million other problems the operating system is claimed to have?
Notable changes in SP1 Hot fixes and patches rolled up in SP1 Release Notes document /. I've been mostly satisifed with my Vista install so far. The only real problems I've experienced is the repackaging of some of the SDK tools such as graphedit which used to be available as standalone, but the 64 bit vista specific version is only available as part of a multi-gig sdk download... Also some vendors have been slow to ship good drivers although I suspect that MS requiring a 64 bit for the "vista compatible" label and not requiring a 32 bit version will in time result in a better driver base.
Unlike most of the chatter I've read on
-*The above statement is printed entirely on recycled electrons*-
Hey, I like raping babies as much as the next person, but on wheels? You need to get with the Microsoft program and make your install process smoother.
Ars Technica claims that file copies are now 50% faster in SP1.
:-)
It should only take 65 and a half years, instead of 131, to copy 168 Mb of pictures now. What a great feature!
Inquiring minds want to know ...
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Time to do some FUD-busting ;)
Everything you've read about Vista's DRM is wrong:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=299
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=304
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=309
The nutshell version. If you're mad at Vista for including HDCP support -- Leopard, the PS3, or any HD-DVD or BluRay player on the market has it as well. Get pissed at the entire industry or don't bother getting pissed at all.
Am I becoming excessively cynical for thinking that SP1 for Vista was rushed out the door for marketing reasons?
It's common for people to wait for the first service pack before moving to a new software platform (not just Microsoft's), and I've seen in their marketing they've been attempting to address the "myth" (http://www.microsoft.com/australia/vistafacts/fact.aspx) that Vista won't be ready until SP1.
I'm predicting that SP1 will just be a bunch of already released hotfixes bundled together and won't do much to cover up the stench of excrement the product exudes.
I'm sorry that this is slightly flamebait, but I don't like Microsoft's products that much and I'm still bitter that my employer forced me to install Vista on my work laptop.
Why do you need a 'great install experience' when you can just force the update on your userbase?
I performed the SP1 RC Refresh 2 installation on Saturday it went smoothly and without any hitches. Vista performance seems a little perkier (although TBH, I never had significant performance issues before hand either).
:)
In any case, I dunno how much more work this SP will need since I haven't experienced a single problem with it during or after installation.
Next weekend I'm going to try the XP Service Pack 3 installation and see how that goes
-AC
and it doesn't appear to have helped reliability or performance as far as we can see. We still have TrendNet wireless nics that will not work using Vista drivers on a factory install of the OS. We still have file copy operations that should be timed with a calendar. We have Vistafied versions of applications that generate interestingly cryptic "unable to assign resource" errors.
I hope that any changes between RC1 and RTM are actually going to deliver on those promises they keep making.
load "$",8,1
1 Uninstall Firefox
2 Uninstall iTunes and any non Windows players
3 Uninstall Open Office
4 Update Vista
5 Max Firewall settings
I'm no Microsoft apologist, but I do think the unbridled hate that pervades /.'s reaction to every single Vista article is a bit out of hand. Maybe this will help stem the tide of Vista-bashing. Sure, Vista kinda sucks, but all Windows versions kinda suck. I think most people who are ripping on Vista for being the operating system anti-christ are forgetting how badly XP sucked pre-SP1, and even pre-SP2. 7 years ago, the chorus of "OH MY GOD XP IS SO MUCH WORSE THAN 2000! THERE'S NO NEED TO UPGRADE!" in every XP article's comments were eerily similar to the ones you hear now every time Vista gets a mention.
Vista's maturing, and as it does it'll become a better operating system, and everyone will benefit, even if they don't use Vista. Microsoft still competes largely on the basis of being a de facto standard. Vista's release has caused them to lose this edge somewhat, and the window has opened for their competition, who compete mostly on features, to get a little lazy (Leopard, anyone?). Microsoft competing more vigorously on their stale plank, assuming they don't magically find traction they've been unable to find for years, can't do anything but help the products on the market.
Okay, now it's time to cue the million responses calling me a Microsoft shill. Suggested topics: "There really was no reason to upgrade from 2k to XP, I still use 2k just fine," "Vista is beyond repair because of DRM," and "Vista is way more broken than Leopard, how dare you rip on OS X."
Even Jesus hates listening to Creed.
Windows Vista has "Support" for DRM, which means content creators such as music and movie makers can CHOOSE to use DRM... IF they want to. HOWEVER, there is no "DRM FORCE" on the user. Which means you CAN STILL use your downloaded mp3s and other files ( porn ) perfectly OK with Windows Vista.
If you dislike DRM, don't buy from the content creators which put DRM in their content. That has nothing to do with an Operating System.
Educate yourself.
To speak to the question about performance: Vista SP1 is still certainly slower than Windows XP. Our group did purchase some high-end testing software and that does show that SP1 performs a little bit better than RTM (and not that magical 10% that people notice; much lower than that). However, it does noticeably improve battery life (on the order of 30 minutes for many users).
Didn't bother to read the links before posting a rebuttal right? :)
Your media tank does indeed provide an HDCP path. Either that, or when the ICT bit is set on media shipped in 2010 onwards, your playback will degrade to roughly 950x550.
This week on WWE RAW we have the fight-to-the-death match of the century - brother against brother - OS against OS.
Will the newly-upgraded Microsoft XP Service Pack 3 be able to take on its younger brother Vista with Service Pack 1 or will it be too old in the tooth to stand up to its sibling?
In a fight scheduled to go several years and refereed by IT managers worldwide with the bragging rights of the very name "Windows" on the line, the world will find out which is the better OS.
Stay tuned for
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3
vs.
Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1
this week on WWE Raw.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
I personally have experienced none of the problems you mention.
In fact, I haven't had any problems with XP, 2000, NT, CE, 98, 95, 3.11, 3.1, 3.0, DOS 3.3 either.
For a company so adept at spinning information into pro-MS propaganda (much like any big company, mind you), you would think that they would do a better job of obfuscating the fact that they have at least 3 different channels for collecting program crash information!
In what way is DRM good?
All DRM tries to do is prevent the user from doing stuff, but can't possibly be successful due to the analog hole.
If I have nothing to hide, don't search me
OK, so I'm trying to read the press announcement and my eyes keep glazing over. What I get is this:
I really just want to know if they include the flying chairs screen saver. Although granted, Vista's DRM will kick in and turn the screen blank...
If you have ever taken a business class (which I have) you will know that Continual Business Process Improvement is not just a buzz-phrase but instead it's a way of life and a way of doing business. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_management) It means that you constantly look to improve the quality of the product, process etc. in such a way that improvments are realized and then you improve some more.
A good example of this is my form I use for processing new employees. When I first made it I left out some things. I wouldn't make sense for me to keep trying to make that old form work. So I changed it and added in the things I left off. Then we added another login which I needed to make sure I created. Therefore I changed it again. Each iteration becomes more streamlined and accurate.
Actual evidence, no. Anecdotal evidence, yes. The Graphic designer here installed Vista (that was a mistake) and it brought his computer to it's knees. The problem was in the indexing service. I doubt they have fixed this but I don't know because he reverted back to XP. Also note that the actual minimum requirements are for the Home Basic version which doesn't actually have any of the "features and improvements" so touted by Microsoft. Therefore if you have the minimum requirements but not the requirements for Ultimate then you are much better off sticking with XP.
WTF? That's something *completely different*.
There is nothing interesting going on at my blog
... to have the service pack go RTM today and yet delay the release until a month later.
Unless Microsoft aren't concerned about leaks and torrents.
I'm with you. . . if they've started manufacturing discs of Vista SP1, isn't it a little late to be worried about a "great install experience"? I can only guess that what that means is they are burning what they've got now to discs, but they want to have a mini-service pack ready to roll-out with Windows Update as soon as people install SP1. . . "Thank you for taking an hour to upgrade to Vista Service Pack 1. In order to complete the installation process, Vista needs to connect to Windows Update to download and install SP 1.1, which should take another 1/2 hour to an hour. [OK]"
So does Vista. Even Vista Media Center plays them. Assuming you've been smart and, you know, installed the codecs. Just need one, actually: ffdshow. If you want to go for broke, you can also install the Combined Community Codec Pack (CCCP). Throw those at it, and Vista will play every file I have, including the MKVs and the OGG/Vorbis files.
And unlike your box, my Vista-based media center will actually play BluRay discs, as well as rips. And it'll play them at full 1080p through the HDMI or, if I prefer, the DVI output on my computer. Both of which support full HDCP. (I'm using the DVI, with the coaxial Dolby Digital output going directly to my decoder at the moment. I'll go HDMI when I replace my 24" WUXGA+ LCD display with a 46" HDTV in the near future)
The FUD about the DRM in Vista is completely overblown. It's in there, but it's not going to prevent you from viewing pirated content if that's your thing. Vista doesn't complain at all about playing videos or songs in my collection. The DRM is in there so that I can play my legitimately purchased content at full resolution, which is something you can't do with your box.
If you believe everything you read, you'd better not read. - Japanese proverb
I'll check back with my mate Chris.
Chris: Fucking Vista! Its gone into reduced functionality mode and says I have a pirated version!
Me: Chris, you do have a pirated version.
Chris: Well..... fuck.
3laws: No freebies, no backsies, GTFO.
Apple has already implemented HDCP in Leopard: http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/aluminum-and-glass-a-review-of-the-new-imac.ars
From the link: "There's also HDCP support built in, so future support for Blu-ray and HD DVD is not out of the question." I had read a more direct reference on Apple's site but I couldn't find that link right now.
Please don't interpret this as an anti-Apple rant though. Rather, as I said in my original post, get pissed at the entire industry, or nobody at all.
Apple never had a choice in the matter, and neither did MS. If you want your system to play HD-DVD or BluRay media once the ICT bit is set, you have to have HDCP support otherwise the playback resolution has to be degraded.
Whether you implement this in software or hardware (firmware) of course, is entirely up to you.
it's not about euphemisms.. it's about marketing, and it's not so '90s either.. it's still alive, even if you might be critical of the use of it.
watch http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/view/ for a fairly interesting docu PBS did on it (warning: the fact that the people that are being interviewed take their jobs seriously is unnerving as well as a partial explanation of why and how they can keep coming up with stuff like it.)
It allows me to pay 10.00 USD per month to have access to a library of hundred of thousands of songs.
You might be pleasantly shocked by XP-64. I've got an MSDN subscription, so have pick of the litter when it comes to operating systems for kicking around. When I tried XP-64 June of 2005, it was a bit rough. I had 4G of RAM in my work / gaming box and figured it was worth just running the 32-bit version of XP and letting the OS round down to 3.5G.
Parts for my new box showed up this week. This time, 8G of RAM, a dual core (E8400) CPU, nVidia 780i SLI mainboard, and nVidia 8800gts (512M). Since I went nVidia for chipset and video card, all of the 'box' hardware had drivers for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of XP, Vista, and Server 2003.
Gave Vista64 (ultimate) a try. Gah...
First, while I'm sure SP1 will probably fix this, the installer failed with 8G of RAM. Pulled out three 2G modules and all extra HDD's, and was able to continue on. OS installed, drivers picked up all of the mainboard/graphics hardware in a reasonable default mode. Had wired network access at that point, so downloaded the current drivers, which picked up all of the 'core' hardware. Plugged in the other HDD's and changed the SATA cabling. Blue screens again. Pull out the drives, put the SATA cables back in for the main drive, blue screen again. Took several reboots before I realized the Plextor DVDR (PX-712A) would cause a blue screen when the tray closed with a disk. Popped in a standard IDE DVDR, and got the rest of the system up and running.
All the development tools and apps worked. Games (CS:Source, Supreme Commander, BFME2) worked OK. A few glitches in BFME on a long game.
The final nail was USB devices. Figured I would blog about he new kit, so I plugged in my USB cord into my camera. Vista recognized it was a camera, but failed to do anything else. No drivers. Same went for *every* USB thumbdrive I owned. (Pics here)
Gave up, after much messing about.
XP-64 installed with 8G of RAM installed. Did not get the Ethernet running, but did mount a thumbdrive without issues. Installed the core set of mainboard/graphics drivers, did a windows update, and everything just worked. Not a single blue screen or crash under XP-64 so far.
Server 2003-64 is also running rock solid. Just work stuff on that drive, however....
+++ UGUCAUCGUAUUUCU
No it isn't. It's a mechanism by which you can prove that you have permission to play media which may require that permission. There's absolutely nothing which stops you playing un-DRMed media. Got some old AVIs? They'll play. That shelf full of CDs? No problem. All those MP3s you've been collecting? They'll still work.
Also, your "Digital Restriction Management" is about as useful as "Winblows" or "Micro$oft". Grow up.
How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
Yes.
!#@%*)anks for hanging up the phone, dear.
"Not that it'll be bug free... I'm sure it will be ridden with mistakes and problems, accidental and deliberate. But it won't be because of lack of effort. I'm sure some Microsoft employees have poured their heart into this thing."
Just because you use a gold plated wide-mouth container for carting "night soil" doesn't mean you not hauling a bucket full 'o stinking shit.
Keerist. I've been hearing about Vista for YEARS, how it was going to be the 'be all and end all' and now they have to TWEAK it?
Linux has episodic incremental releases.
OS X has episodic incremental releases.
Windows has "events".
What unmitigated bullshit.
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
If you read the whitepaper (a, b) for Vista SP1 performance wasn't high up on to-do list. Personally, Vista runs fine for me (except for file copying, where Microsoft fucked up big time). I put Vista on a Duron 850 with 512mb of RAM for shits and giggles, and it ran like a dog with three legs. I put Windows XP on there and it ran acceptably. I run Vista on a 1.8Ghz dual core machine with 1GB of RAM and it runs plenty fast.
I'll subscribe to Slashdot when I see a month without a dupe, a typo, or an article the "editors" didn't read.
You should not make that bet.
There are even now flat TVs (lcd/plasma) sold which do not have HDCP. It is easy to see, if there is no "HD ready" sticker then it does not have HDCP (at least so in Finland).
My plasma was bought 2003. I doubt there were any HDCP capable TV's back then.
Wow, can anyone REALLY be this clueless? DRM is there so you can watch your stuff at full resolution? What's next - war is peace? Freedom is slavery? Ignorance is strength?
You've either swallowed the line bait, hook and sinker, or you're an astroturfer. I'm going to apply Hanlon's razor and go with the former, assuming stupidity rather than malice, but still... sheesh. Lay of the crack, man, it's not good for your brain.