Microsoft releases Windows Vista RC1 to millions of testers

Computerworld -

Microsoft today released Release Candidate 1 (RC1) of Windows Vista, a significant milestone on the road to the launch of the new operating system, which has been in the works for five years.

The RC1 version of Vista offers a long list of operational and performance improvements over the Beta 2 version, including faster performance, improved driver support, an easier-to-use networking interface and a variety of changes to the "fit and finish" of the operating system, said testers.

In addition, the User Account Control (UAC) security feature, which has been frequently maligned by beta testers because of its intrusiveness (see "Visual Tour: 20 Things You Won't Like About Windows Vista"), has been reined in so that it does not intrude as much on the user experience.

Microsoft has said that it could ship Windows Vista to consumers as early as January 2007. Industry observers said that Microsoft expects to wrap up the final version of Windows Vista by Oct. 25. That's consistent with Microsoft's earlier projection to release Vista to enterprise customers this November, which was reaffirmed earlier this week by Greg Sullivan, Microsoft's group product manager for Windows.

The release of a stable RC1 is an important step toward that timetable, because it will get the new operating system into the hands of millions of new users, helping Microsoft track down bugs, and ensure that Windows Vista works with as wide a range of hardware as possible.

Toward that end, Microsoft today is rolling out a sweeping plan to get RC1 into the hands of testers.

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RC1 will be distributed to 20,000 users already in the technical beta program, 500,000 MSDN and TechNet subscribers, and 1.5 million people who were in the Beta 2 Customer Preview Program (CPP), or public beta test. Microsoft intends to significantly widen the distribution by opening the door to new CPP testers. Information about the public beta test will be made available at a later time.

In addition, the software company has made arrangements to distribute RC1 DVDs as "cover mounts" on magazines, so that magazine readers can install the latest version as well. According to Sullivan, RC1 will be the most widely distributed pre-release version of Vista to date.

RC1 will work until May 31, 2007, when it will time out and no longer function. Microsoft will continue to issue updates and patches to RC1 until it is released to manufacturing, at which time the operating system is considered finished, and the manufacturing and distribution process will begin.

Changes In RC1

In RC1, Microsoft has made numerous changes to the operating system. Of particular note is that the newly renamed Network and Sharing Center has been thoroughly redesigned, making it easier for users to perform tasks such as sharing files, folders and media or viewing a full map of the network and all of its devices.