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Official XP SP3 release date still up in the air

By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews

April 15, 2008, 3:58 PM

A Microsoft spokesperson declined this afternoon to confirm reports circulating on technology blogs today citing purportedly leaked documents as saying the online release date for Windows XP Service Pack 3 will be April 29.

"We expect Windows XP SP3 to be available in 1H 2008, provided it meets our quality bar for release," stated the spokesperson, in response to BetaNews' question about the specific date.

The blog story appeared to indicate a large lag time between SP3's release through the Microsoft Update service and the release through Automatic Updates, purportedly in June. Those dates would indicate a long period of time for initial installers to make sure drivers are in working order, similar to what ended up being required for Windows Vista SP1.

The latest refresh of Release Candidate 2 of XP SP3 is still
available for download through BetaNews FileForum.

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By WeezulDK

edited Apr 16, 2008 - 10:57 AM

Anyone wondering why SP3 hasn't already been released obviously doesn't realize MS wants to drop it and force people to migrate to Vista.

Windows 2000 recieved more service packs in a shorter time than XP has!

Windows 2000 got 4 service packs and one rollup update package post SP4.
These were:
Service Pack 1 (SP1) on August 15, 2000,
Service Pack 2 (SP2) on May 16, 2001,
Service Pack 3 (SP3) on August 29, 2002
Service Pack 4 (SP4) on June 26, 2003.

FOUR SERVICE PACKS in FOUR YEARS.

XP was released in 2001 and it's 7 years old and they're just NOW getting to SP3?

Ummm HELLO! Wake up people!

Score: 0

By mjm01010101

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 2:19 PM

Microsoft is tired from SP2. Give the multi-billion corp a break!

Score: 0

By cousinkix1953

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 5:12 AM

I'll never buy VISTA. We are foolish to continue supportung MICRO$OFT because Bill Gates is back on Capitol Hill trying to import more cheap foreign labor. This greedy weathy SOB is hell bent on trying to destroy the economy for his own personal profit. Drop dead you swine...

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 5:35 PM

You're a tard if you think H1-Bs are "cheap foreign labor".

That'd be the non-skilled imports from Mexico, Somalia, and such.

H1-B's are by nature skilled, and generally only used when American workers don't meet demands.

What, you wanted $50k and some H1-B got it for $40? That'd just make you a sucker.

Score: 0

By TomA102210

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 5:33 PM

Your not buying Vista for the reasons you state shows your ignorance of one of the main reasons why Gates goes out of country to hire. People like you who still work are not willing to or too lazy to get the education required to write the kind of code Microsoft requires. People from other countries are motivated more to get that education. So, you are part of the problem and the people Gates hires are part of the solution. You can change that.

Score: 0

By preinterpost

edited Apr 16, 2008 - 1:36 PM

With this country packed full of ignorant fools (see above) what other choice than to import skilled hard working foreigners or fade into insignificance?

Score: 0

By xyzcb1

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 10:16 AM

Bill Gate, the greedy wealthy SOB donated most of his money to his foundation. What does other billionaires such as the all loved Steve Jobs (Apple), Larry Page (Google), Sergey Brin (Google) and Eric Schmidt (Google), Larry Ellison (Oracle ) do with their money? I really don't know, but one thing I do know is the money are not going into philanthropy.

Score: 0

By ehn

edited Apr 16, 2008 - 7:55 AM

I beg to differ. The very few workers that are lucky enough to get the H1-B Visa on average are paid $82,500 to start with and may easily reach $100,000 a year. I wouldn't call that cheap labor.
http://blogs.payscale.co...05/salary_requirem.html

Don't go blaming foreigners for our own ills. There just isn't enough qualified talent here at home to fill the positions needed. Could it be because the U.S. currently lacks in math and science education that is cause for this shortage? We are near the bottom, and the best we can do is debate "Intelligent Design".
http://www.washingtonpos...04/AR2007120400730.html

Read up on the efforts Bill Gates is making in Congress to INCREASE funding for American education before you wish him dead.
http://news.aol.com/news...education-is-the-answer/

Score: 0

By bourgeoisdude

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 11:32 AM

(applause)

Score: 0

By Hollywood__

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 1:32 AM

Please let this POS called XP die already.

Score: 0

By GS5

edited Apr 16, 2008 - 3:52 AM

Think about it, if they let that POS XP die. They have to deal with that POS Vista. It's a lose lose situation. XP needs to stick around until 2010.

Score: 0

By Hollywood__

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 9:44 AM

BateNews has found it's new HD-DVD vs Blu Ray comment generator called "any story with the word Vista in it".

They are going to milk the Vista cow dry, don't fall for it again people.

Like I said before, I have 3 total computers running Vista right now and not one single solitary problem on any of them with compatibility, drivers, software, anything.

I guess I'm just the luckiest person on the planet with the only 3 Vista machines that work properly. Just to note, they are all HP products.

Last comment from me on Vista / XP. This site is starting to wear on me with it's ads and the same flame wars that nobody wins.

There is no way I will convince people Vista is fine and no way you will convince me XP was worth a crap.

Score: 0

By God Dammit

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 4:41 AM

Who would want an operating system as unstable as Windows XP when they could get the most stable and fastest version of Windows ever released? Windows Vista is as stable as a true microkernel operating system and as fast as a monolithic operating system where drivers run in kernel mode.

Score: 0

By GS5

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 7:00 AM

"Who would want an operating system as unstable as Windows XP when they could get the most stable and fastest version of Windows ever released?"

Fastest version of Windows ever released? Dude, are you on a acid trip????? Have you ever actually used Vista? I have a brand new 3.2Ghz QX9770 Quad-core Extreme with 4 gigs of memory and Vista is mediocre at best when compared to Linux. Vista is crap when it comes to speed period.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 2:34 PM

Agreed Vista does seem to start much faster than XP.

Score: 0

By God Dammit

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 2:10 PM

Duh, Linux has always been better than Windows in terms of stability and speed. Until fairly recently it just lacked the hardware support that Windows has. It is fact though that Windows is getting better, not worse, with each new release. It's extremely rare that Windows Vista itself ever crashes from buggy software unlike Windows XP.

Score: 0

By Maymne

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 12:53 PM

Linux is a WINDOWS operating system now? Impressive... which version of Linux is that?

Score: 0

By Banquo

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 5:02 AM

"Who would want an operating system as unstable as Windows XP"

Wow, what a load of crap.

Score: 0

By bourgeoisdude

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 11:56 AM

Yep.

Even I'll admit that after SP2, XP was pretty stable. The kernel of Vista seems to be more stable, but perhaps only because of Vista's enhanced security.

Most blue screen errors--XP or Vista--are not caused by a failure stemmed from the OS itself, but rather from faulty hardware, faulty drivers, faulty/malicious browser plugins, and buggy programs (in that order, biggest threat to lowest threat). As far as the rarer BSOD errors that are indeed caused by the OS itself, I have seen only one mentioned by Microsoft that was actually an OS problem with Vista. With XP fully patched, it has very very few of these issues itself, but to me Vista started out on the right foot as far as this is concerned while XP has had to undergo vast numbers of changes to it's process handling and such before it could be considered stable.

Anyway, from almost any angle--Vista appears to be more stable than XP does, but again XP in its current state is far from being "unstable".

Score: 0

By shroom

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 5:51 AM

This is called a fanboy comment ;)

Score: 0

By gregmlr

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 12:11 AM

Microsoft is going to hold out on SP3 for XP as long as they can in hopes of people upgrading to Vista.

Score: 0

By roj

edited Apr 15, 2008 - 7:16 PM

"Let's keep it off the market as long as possible to focus attention of Vista SP1 in the hope that the public will shift attention... "

Um, Putzes.

Yer Fooling No One.

We'll Wait For It.

That Ain't Gonna Save Yer Lame Duck.

Score: 0

By Hollywood__

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 1:34 AM

Spoken like a true hillbilly. What company are you the CEO of?

Vista is above your head. Ever heard of Plato, Socrates? Morons compared to me.

Score: 0

By roj

edited Apr 16, 2008 - 10:43 AM

I'm an IT Security Analyst working for the Federal Government. The style of post was tongue in cheek. The content was not.

If you cannot understand the reasons why Vista is a failure, you most certainly deserve it.

All users who choose to be cattle do.

The overweening arrogance and ego of your statements underscores very clearly the shallowness beneath.

Score: 0

By preinterpost

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 1:42 PM

Your job and organization are worthy of comparison to the beloved Military Intelligence ;-)

Score: 0

By Hollywood__

edited Apr 16, 2008 - 11:11 AM

Apparently, the tongue in cheek was a little over my head. When it comes to arrogance and ego, there are few out there that could compare to me.

I think you are just angry because you have XP and feel left out as Vista takes over. Kind of like someone who buys a 2007 model car, then the better, restyled version comes out in 2008 and you feel cheated and left out as you are stuck with the old crap. It's natural to feel resentment, let it out man.

By the way, most people who post thier resume or fancy job titles on forums are usually lying. Statistically speaking.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Apr 16, 2008 - 2:43 PM

I think he meant by working in security that he mans the metal detector at the front door.

Score: 0

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