The Channel Wire

October 20, 2008

Microsoft has begun distributing a beta version of the second service pack for both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 to selected testers, and plans to release both within the next four weeks, the Windows enthusiast blog Neowin reported late last week.

According to Neowin, Vista SP 2 will include a number of application compatibility updates and the latest Bluetooth 2.1 fixes, as well as Windows Search 4.0, the revamped desktop search function that Microsoft rolled out in June.

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that Microsoft is working on a second service pack for Windows Vista (Windows Vista SP2) and (Windows Server 2008 SP2), but didn't offer additional information. But given the Fort Knox-style veil of secrecy that Microsoft maintained around the release in February of Vista SP1, this isn't exactly surprising.

Noting that Vista SP1 addressed most of Vista's performance and application compatibility issues, Mark Crall, president of Charlotte Tech Care Team, a Microsoft partner in Charlotte, N.C., says he expects Vista SP2 be a comprehensive rollup of minor fixes that should further solidify the OS.

"Vista SP2 will be another milestone that helps build customer confidence that Microsoft is trying to address the issues," Crall predicted.

Last week at Gartner's Symposium 2008 event in Orlando, Fla., Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer acknowledged the market's resistance to Vista and said it's possible that some customers might choose to skip Vista and wait for Windows 7, the successor to Vista that's slated for release in late 2009.

Vista SP2 will likely be the last service pack for Vista, especially given the increasing amount of attention Microsoft has been giving to Windows 7.

Later this month at its Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft will distribute a pre-beta version of Windows 7 to attendees, and will also devote several sessions at the event to giving developers their first long look at the upcoming version of Windows.