Microsoft Monday released an interim build of the OS that improves its overall performance and makes specific tweaks recommended by beta testers.
The release, build number 5472, is now available to Windows Vista Technical Beta program
participants, select Technology Adoption Program (TAP) customers and Microsoft Developer
Network subscribers.
Specifically, the build makes setting up and controlling a user account on the OS "less
chatty," said Mike Burk, a Microsoft product manager for Windows Client. "Testers said there were too many prompts and dialogs, so we reduced the number of those," he said.
The build also improves the Windows Media Center feature in the OS so it more quickly
shuts down and starts up, Burk said.
In conjunction with the build, Microsoft also released an updated SDK (software
development kit) so developers and software vendors can develop applications on top of
the new release, he added.
Overall, build 5472 of Vista shows some of the final tweaking Microsoft is making for
performance and quality as it prepares to finish Release Candidate 1 of Vista, which is
due out by Aug. 31, Burk said. Microsoft is still targeting a final release of Windows
Vista for business customers in November, with general availability of the OS on PCs in
January 2007.
However, Burk echoed comments expressed by top Microsoft executives that those release
dates are only targets, and the "actual and final dates will be based on quality of the
product." That kind of talk that has led many to believe the release of Windows Vista
will be delayed even further.
To add fuel to that belief, Microsoft recently announced that business customers will
have to wait until the end of the year for Office 2007, which has been on a similar
release track to Vista and was scheduled to reach business customers in October. The
company also pushed the consumer release of Office 2007 a few months beyond its
scheduled January 2007 release.