What Microsoft has in store for Windows 7 Service Pack
1
Although Windows 7 is in good shape, many users won't
adopt it until SP1 arrives. Here's what appears to be on deck for SP1
It's a
rule of thumb: Like measuring twice before cutting or looking both ways before
crossing the street, you should never deploy a version of Windows until the
first service pack has been released. That way you can be sure that any
showstopper-type bugs have been resolved before committing to the new platform.
Better to be late to the stampede, the thinking goes, than to end up face down
in a ditch with a bunch of arrows sticking out of your back.
Of course,
in the case of Windows 7 Microsoft is hoping that you'll throw caution to the
wind and roll it out anyway. And given the lack of drama emanating from the
early-adopter camp -- true deal-breaker bugs have been few and far between with Windows 7 some IT shops will be tempted to ignore their thumbs for a change
and take a chance on the RTM build.
However,
for the majority of Microsoft's corporate customers, the "wait unti
SP1" mentality will prevail (once burned, twice shy), which is why they'll
be happy to learn that the first inklings of a public SP1 beta program are
beginning to emerge. For example, bloggers have discovered some hidden registry
keys related to a download prequalification check associated with an
as-yet-unreleased SP1 build. And others have posted a leaked list of post-RTM
build numbers that would seem to indicate a continued evolution of the Windows 7 code base -- a good sign that Microsoft is hard at work on an update.
A tale of
two OSes
Clearly,
the SP1 wheels are in motion early with Windows 7, which is ironic in that
virtually nobody is yet clamoring for this combination of patches, tweaks, and
performance enhancements. By contrast, Windows 7's immediate predecessor,
Windows Vista, was in such dire straits out of the gate that Microsoft couldn't
rush a service pack to market fast enough.
Early
Vista adopters -- including yours truly -- waited with bated breath for
promised resolutions to vexing issues, like registry corruption and
debilitating network I/O bottlenecks. In fact, it was InfoWorld's
headline-generating malaise that fueled the Save XP campaign and prompted Microsoft to refocus Windows 7 from long-term innovation to short-term fix for
the Vista debacle.
History
will likely show this to have been a wise decision, with Windows 7 now gaining
a reputation as one of the most polished initial desktop OS releases Microsoft
has ever put forth -- even better than the legendary Windows 2000 Professional.
So it really comes as no surprise that the interest level surrounding a
potential SP1 beta in the spring/summer of this year is still quite low.
Everyone seems so content with the Windows 7 RTM build that speculation about
what might be in such an initial service pack barely registers on most IT shop
radars.
What Windows 7 SP1 will likely do?
Yet
speculate we must. Beyond the obvious bug fixes and security patches, we'll no
doubt see support for the new USB 3.0 standard. Likewise, enhancements to the
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi stacks will be slipstreamed in, allowing Windows 7 to
retain its mantle as the most easily configured version ever.
But
perhaps the most significant "update" to come out of Service Pack 1
will be the fact that it exists at all, and that by delivering it to market Microsoft will be signaling that it is now OK for IT shops to pull the trigger
on their Windows 7 deployments. So here's to an early SP1 release -- and a final
dismissal of that pesky rule of thumb.
This
article, "What Microsoft has in store for Windows 7 Service Pack 1,"
was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments on
Windows 7 and Windows in general at InfoWorld.com.
Windows 7 is the next version of Windows client
operating system from Microsoft built on the core fundamentals of Windows
Vista. Windows 7 offers greater reliability and performance with an improvement
in the Security features that were already available in Windows Vista. Windows 7 offers improved navigation, a new taskbar and a streamlined UI so that common
tasks done in Windows are done easier and more quickly. These are some of the
topics that will be demonstrated in the seminar: New Taskbar, Libraries,
Ribbon, Background Processes-Services and Tasks, Multi-Touch.
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