XP SP3’s due date is now anyone’s guess | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

Last week, I posted that I was hearing the final release of Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3 was due imminently. This week’s update: I have no idea when XP SP3 is coming.

Microsoft has maintained for the past few months that it would release XP SP3 in the first half of calendar 2008. Company officials repeatedly declined to provide more granular details (at least not publicly).

CRN reported late last week that the release notes on the 5503 build of XP SP3 that slipped out onto torrents a week ago said that Microsoft was targeting today, March 24, to release the final SP3.

But over the weekend, the date sleuths over at the TechArp site said that Microsoft had delayed its release date for SP3 to some time in the second half of April (at least for English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Simplified Chinese users). SP3 in other languages would take another three weeks beyond the initial release date, TechArp said. (Thanks to Bink.nu for a pointer to the latest XP SP3 update from TechArp.)

Read the rest of this blog entry here: »blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1289

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Microsoft has also delayed RTM for Windows XP Service Pack 3 to provide sufficient time to incorporate feedback from the beta testers. (In other words, they can't make their original deadline!)

Due to the changes in language releases and Windows XP SP3 RTM's release, here's the updated schedule.

Chinese (Simplified), English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish - Second half of April 2008

Arabic, Chinese (Hong Kong), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Swedish, and Turkish - Approximately 21 days after Wave 1 RTM

With the exception of Windows XP Media Center Edition and Windows XP Tablet Edition, Windows XP Service Pack 3 will be released in both standalone and integrated formats. It will be available in both CD and DVD formats, except for the Japanese language version which will only be in DVD format.

Microsoft clarified that there will not be any integrated SP3 release for Windows XP Media Center Edition or Windows XP Tablet Edition. That means you won't be able to buy or obtain a complete Windows XP Media Center Edition / Tablet Edition SP3 CD. In addition, users of Windows XP Media Center Edition or Windows XP Tablet Edition will only be able to update to Service Pack 3 through Windows Update.

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Microsoft delays Windows XP SP3 without explaining why, then puts on a full court press to promote Vista SP1. It doesn't take a genius to see what they're doing here. They've decided to "save Vista's bacon" (delaying XP SP3 might prompt some fence-sitters to take the Vista plunge) at the expense of XP getting a much needed roll-up of critical fixes and patches - great if you're a Vista fan, not so hot if you're an XP shop waiting on the first real Service Pack in nearly 4 years.

In fact, you could say that Microsoft has shown its true colors with its handling of SP3. By delaying the update's release, company executives have made it clear that they're willing to screw-over even their most loyal customers if it helps Microsoft salvage a flagging product.

Note to IT: All those years of dedication to Windows and enthusiasm for the Microsoft brand mean nothing. This company will drop you in a heart-beat if it serves to further its agenda.

I guess I picked a good week to explore my *nix options...

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Some of you may have seen this, but there is a YouTube video of music composed using the start-up sounds from Windows XP and Windows 98.

What do you think, is it an anthem for XP's enduring quality or a swan song for an operating system on the precipice of extinction?

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