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Microsoft Announces Windows 7 SP1

CWmike writes "Microsoft has announced service packs for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, but declined to set a release date or a schedule for getting a beta in users' hands. A company spokesman said Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) will primarily contain 'minor updates,' including patches and hotfixes that will have been delivered earlier via the Windows Update service, rather than new features. One of the latter: an updated Remote Desktop client designed to work with RemoteFX, the new remote-access platform set to debut in SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2. Windows Server 2008 R2 will also be upgraded to SP1, Microsoft said, presumably at the same time as Windows 7 since the two operating systems share a single code base. Besides RemoteFX — which Microsoft explained Wednesday in an entry on the Windows virtualization team's blog — Server 2008 R2 will also include a feature dubbed 'Dynamic Memory,' which lets IT staff adjust guest virtual machines' memory on the fly. Microsoft did not spell out a timetable for the service packs, saying only that it would provide more information as release milestones approach."

5 of 355 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Let the Games Begin... by glwtta · · Score: 4, Informative

    Windows 7 is the best product MS has released in years. While this may be considered a pyrrhic victory (ME, anyone?), the fact remains that Windows 7 is a solid product.

    Just because I'm bored: a Pyrrhic victory is one that comes at too high a price. An example would be if Windows 7 was an excellent product, but the development effort bankrupted Microsoft. Here you just mean that the praise may be disingenuous.

    (I like being an asshole about language, alright?)

    --
    sic transit gloria mundi
  2. Careful about unwanted updates being included... by AaronMK · · Score: 3, Informative

    Hopefully this will not try to shove KB971033, the one that periodically phones home to verify that your copy is "genuine", onto unsuspecting users who thought they dodged it in the normal updates. However, if this is a lump collection of all previous "patches and hotfixes", I fear the worst.

  3. Re:The wise user will wait by Jazz-Masta · · Score: 5, Informative

    You referenced lifecycle and service pack support availability. Mainstream support for XP ended last year, while extended support ends in 2014. Both support cycles offer security updates, but non-essential hotfixes are only available to companies who have support contracts.

    The first link details when they stop selling various licences of the software (not support)
    The second link details when support for services packs end AFTER the introduction on new service packs.

    To reiterate, XP has extended support until 2014. Windows 2000 support just recently ended.

    Apple stops releasing security updates shortly after new releases, while Ubuntu LTS is 3 years for Desktop and 5 years for server...

    XP is 13 years.

  4. Re:The wise user will wait by BikeHelmet · · Score: 3, Informative

    It still borks them unless you clear your cookies and change your IP.

    Go ahead. Try it. Post, then refresh the page - your mods will be gone. If it's a really popular post, someone else may have modded it above +5, but for some score 2 post that only you bumped up, your mod will disappear.

  5. Re:The wise user will wait by alen · · Score: 3, Informative

    you do realize that Vista and Vista SP2 are almost totally different operating systems under the hood? Vista SP2 was the first to desktop windows to use the same server kernel. Windows 7 is just an extension of that. Google Mini Win. MS knew that Win2000/2003/XP of putting everything in the kernel was a bad idea around 2001 and started a project to make WIndows more UNIX like and modular. Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 are the first products from that project.