Officially, Microsoft has been saying “the first half of 2008” whenever the company is asked to put a date for the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3. However, various sources have been expecting the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) build to become available in the second half of April. Now, according to tech site Neowin, Microsoft’s release schedule for XP SP3 is as follows:
April 14, 2008: Support is available for the release version of Service Pack 3 for Windows XP
April 21, 2008: Original Equipment Manufacturers, Volume License, Connect, and MSDN and TechNet subscribers
April 29, 2008: Microsoft Update, Windows Update, Download Center
June 10, 2008: Automatic UpdatesXP SP3 contains all previously-released Windows XP updates… Although Microsoft is not including many Vista-specific features in SP3, it is adding Network Access Protection (NAP) “to help organizations that use Windows XP to take advantage of new features in the Windows Server 2008 operating system.” Windows Internet Explorer 7 is not included as part of SP3 and still must be downloaded and installed separately.
Not that I lack confidence in Microsoft updates; but, I hope it fixes more than it breaks.
Why do I have a bad feeling about this? I don’t wanna get bullied into buying vista
I won’t be installing it anytime soon.
YAY! FINALLY!
Hey John, just wanna say BIG! fan (since TechTV)
You remind me of Grumpy Old Men 😛
#1
You’re not indicating that Microsoft’s strategy would be to cripple it’s own creation only to force people to purchase another one of their products, would you? Microsoft is such an upstanding and respectable organization, they would never do anything that might make people question their motives. Would they?
Yes, would they? Hmmmmmmmm…
Yea.
Windows XP will finally be an installable OS.
MS is always best after SP3.
It takes that long for the end-user to finish debugging the stuff MS won’t pay to debug in the first place.
Cheap bastards!
Cursor_
“Not that I lack confidence in Microsoft updates; but, I hope it fixes more than it breaks.” – Well, with M$, it’s ALWAYS A CRAPS SHOOT !!! You never know what you will get (and it’s not a box of chocolates !) Stuff that worked will break, other stuff will be moved around, where you can’t find it anymore, etc !!! M$ calls this “Innovation” !!! Or your could try a REAL OS – GNU/LINUX AND OPEN OFFICE – FOR FREE !!! M$ is practically FORCING THE ISSUE WITH THE STEAMING TURD THEY CALL “VISTA” !!!
[You might be violating ECA’s style copyright. 😀 – ed.]
A most welcome and wonderous update to what is already a splendid, refined and stable operating system. SP3 turns XP into the fastest, most stable, popular and secure desktop computer OS, in The World.
If what John said on his podcast the other day about MS not promoting Server 2008, despite it reportedly being a great product, because of it’s connection to Vista, this upgrade, and its support for Server08, sounds to me not like MS is trying to force anyone to Vista but like they’re trying to expand the possible market for Server08 to XP-based computers before they give it a push, so they can dissociate it from Vista completely.
I just chuckle at all this as I enjoy my OS X Tiger experience every day without any problems…. ever.
As far as I’m concerned XP SP2 was enough. I got it all under control and have no desire to change it, not only that my PC doesn’t communicate with anyone – especially MS – without my knowledge or consent. Didn’t MS abandon XP? Guess not, eh? Now if they really wanted to get my attention they could make the latest directx XP compatible, convince manufacturers to continue to provide XP drivers, or better yet, polish up 64bit XP.
Why not put it back on the market at 1/3 the price I’d buy another liscense. These guys have gotten so wrapped up in themselves they can’t distinguish the successes from the failures.
This brings me great happiness.
From a developer’s standpoint, SP2 was most certainly not enough and SP3 isn’t any better since neither include IIS6. SP3 is really no better than simply having SP2 with all the patches. There is pretty much no new functionality. So, the value added to a consumer is nil. The value added to an IT person is minor in that they can now slipstream all those updates so that installs take less time. Big whoop.
SP3 does not solve the fundamental issue that Vista blows and there is no alternative on the same platform.
I’ll be waiting a while before I install this one also. I look for this to include more Vista like DRM. If they really wanted me to install this they would have put DirectX 10 in it. As it is, I’ll wait.
Thumbs up for Grandpa (#14)…
After couple of extremely suspicious “innocent” Windows update glitches last Summer and Fall I stopped automatic updates and am inspecting any offered updates with paranoid mindset. I did install few but I suspect that SP3 might be the trouble-loader. No exact evidence, just awareness of MS practices. Wouldn’t be past them to cripple the good thing (XP) for the sake of propping poorly performing Vista. At least, as poster Grandpa suggests, I am sure that they would try to sneak some DRM “upgrades” which are the crux of all Vista problems.
I’ll download and save the SP3 executable for the day I need to reinstall XP from scratch. Other than that, my present SP2 installation works fine and I have no need to screw it up. I’ll leave that to those who feel they need to be beta testers.
Well Said Pedro….
Keep Playing your solitaire while microsoft comes with a real clear service pack for XP…
Or rather keep fooling your self of that…
Cheersss!!!!!
Sorry Pedro, no time for solitaire. I’m too busy using my computer productively, mostly with Adobe CS2, Filemaker Pro, Acrobat 8, and Excel (the only MS software I use that works well).
Yeah well Vista 64 Ultimate comes with Texas Hold’em lol 🙂