Re: Why is XPSP3 being RTM'ed?
kurttrail wrote:
> Canuck57 wrote:
>
>
>>Look at SPs as roll ups of all the changes since the last SP, or the
>>anchor point they used. While features can be added in an SP, they
>>don't have to be in there and often are not.
>
>
> No really? I know all that, and it has no bearing on why bothering to
> RTM XPSP3.
>
>
>>Manufacturers get them first as they can test them and gives them a
>>chance to QA it before it makes a general release. If any real big
>>issues come up, they may either add to the SP to fix or have a patch
>>right after the SP is released. Or in worst case create a SP3a.
>
>
> OEMs won't have enough time to do any of that effectively in just one
> week's time before XPSP3 is generally released on the 29th.
>
>
>>Has no bearing on if Microsoft is going to keep XP or not. In fact, I
>>suspect they will not unless someone in the executive at MSFT changes
>>their minds. There is not that much money left in "XP", rolling out a
>>new version generates revenue.
>
>
> Tell that to the OEMs that want to keep selling XP.
>
> So again I ask, why bother with this RTM nonsense? Why not just release
> it to all at once? And this time assume that I know as much as you do
> about SPs.
>
> Usually SPs are RTMed for a month or so before general release. XPSP3
> just 8 days. Certainly there have been a bunch of mixed signals coming
> from Redmond over extending the sales of XP beyond June 30th, and this
> RTM nonsense just adds more mixed signals. Bothering to RTM it at all,
> yet only for 8 days.
>
> Does MS even know what it is doing any more?
>
The term "Release to Manufacturing" really means this: The Microsoft
engineers on the [SP3] team have completed their beta tests, finalized
the code and released the code to the ***plant*** to be pressed into
cdrom discs. Preceding cdrom discs, it was copying to floppy diskettes.
From the plant, the product is shipped to the public, including OEM's.
OEM's will not be shipping any computers with Windows XP SP3 prior to
the official release date; they might toss in an SP3 cdrom for products
released after the SP3 official date. And only after the official SP3
release date with OEM's be streaming it into their products.
Of course, a SP3 cdrom is probably passe in these days of broadband.
The Internet could possibly substitute as the "plant".
IIRC, this was the way in the past, in the present and probably well
into the future.