A release candidate will be sacrificed in order to keep the oft-delayed next-generation operating system on schedule for a late 2006 release.
Still, there is some disappointment that despite a lot of talk from Microsoft, including a significant reorganization, Vista is having problems along the release trail, as Paul Thurrott noted today.
Microsoft had planned to make the next Vista beta available on December 7. Perhaps someone in Redmond noticed the date has some historical significance, but Thurrott said on his site January or February 2006 now looks like a more likely release timeframe.
The all-important full release date of late 2006 hasn’t been jeopardized yet. Microsoft needs to make that happen, and other big players in the tech industry, like Intel and Dell, want to see the demand for OEM hardware driven up with the new OS.
Thurrott posted some of his conversation with his internal Microsoft source, regarding the delay:
“Microsoft sets internal targets for the development team around milestones, but these are not commitments to specific dates. We do not comment on these internal milestones and we have not announced a specific timeframe for our next major Windows Vista milestone. ”
“That said, customers have told us repeatedly they prefer more frequent code drops through our Community Technology Preview (CTP) program [which] provides a great avenue for real time feedback and testing from our customers–feedback we formerly received only through the beta process. You should expect Microsoft to continue their focus to deliver CTPs in the coming months given how successful this program has been.”
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
