Windows Vista RC1 Complete

alienfluid writes to mention that RC1 of Windows Vista is now complete. This 'nearly complete' version of the operating system is already available to beta testers, and will be available to everyone else soon. From the article: "You'll notice a lot of improvements since Beta 2. We've made some UI adjustments, added more device drivers, and enhanced performance. We're not done yet, however -- quality will continue to improve. We'll keep plugging away on application compatibility, as well as fit and finish, until RTM. If you are an ISV, RC1 is the build you should use for certifying your application."

Re:Freeware?

[ocelotbob]

MS has time-limited versions of a lot of their software, including 2003 server and Office. In fact, XP RC-1 had a similar open beta program. Fill out a form, and they send ya a CD for free. I think I still have my copy somewhere.

Oops

[PhrostyMcByte]

And it still has the ridiculus mandatory driver signing, forcing freeware/open source developers to shell out $500 for a certificate if they want to make drivers that work on x64. All for their precious trusted computing. Wouldn't want those evil x64 criminals installing drivers to rip hd-dvds would they?

Re:Freeware?

[99BottlesOfBeerInMyF]

Beta 2 is available to everyone...

From microsoft.com: "Thank you for your interest in Windows Vista. The Customer Preview Program is now closed. We have reached our program capacity and no new orders are being accepted. We apologize for any inconvenience."

It looks like a limited number of beta testers for the beta and for the RC, not "everyone."

Re:Release Candidate?

[dvice_null]

> RC's are usually versions that have all the core functionality implemented and are ready for testing.

No, that is called a beta version. RC = Release Candidate means what it means. If no new problems are found by the testers, it will be the final release, or so it should be. RC version doesn't need to be bug free, but it shouldn't have any bugs that are marked as stoppers of the final release.

Re:Release Candidate?

[phatvw]

Actually it does have everything implemented. There will be no new features in the final RTM build according to Alchin and Valentine. The only difference will be bug fixes and improvements in the WDK and other documentation.

Indcidentally, there is a huge party going on at Microsoft's main campus soccer field [live.com] today, if you were curious to see how Windows developers act while drunk.

Re:Which version is this...

[agallagh42]

"Is this pre-RC1 that just came out earlier this week or is there another version coming out?"

Pre-RC1 (aka. August CTP) is build 5536. RC1 is build 5600.

Re:Which version is this...

[se69]

From the email invitation:

"Thank you for participating in the Windows Vista Beta 2 Customer Preview Program (CPP). Your help is playing a critical role in improving the overall quality of what we believe is one of the most important OS advances in the history of PC computing. As a participant in the Beta 2 CPP, you will be able to download Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) as soon as it becomes available.

In the mean time, we are inviting a limited number of CPP participants to help test a pre-RC1 build. Your timely feedback on this build will help us improve the quality of the final RC1 release that will be available to millions of customers in the coming weeks."

Golden Master 2

[lullabud]

That reminds me of when I was working at Actiontec and I'd be working on authoring a hybrid "Gold Master" release to go off to the duplicator for 100,000 copies, and then marketing would come down the hall and have some text changes and image changes 5 minutes before the FedEx guy was going to show up, 60 minutes before FedEx closed. I'd then have to manually insert these files (then rework CVS from the changes they had me put into the tree I had checked out), and this was "Golden Master R2". So, somebody would literally be waiting with a car ready to speed off to the nearest FedEx center to hand-deliver the CD to them for shipping. Then Marketing would come back and say "SHIT! We forgot something blatantly obvious that was decided 30 minutes ago between me and another clueless top-dog suits!! I'd have to author hybrid CD Golden Master R3 and upload the ISO to them, and they'd be finished downloading it before they even received Golden Master R2 from over-night FedEx. But an ISO wasn't enough, they also needed 5 copies of Golden Master R3 over-nighted too. Then the project would be put on hold for 2 months because of a hardware issue, which would give everybody time to slip in more fixes for the "New Golden Master", and the cycle would repeat. I tried to explain the principle of the release canidate, but they wouldn't hear it. Snafu, I tell you. I sure don't miss those days.

Re:Where Vista Touched Me.

[iced_773]

How exactly are you judging that?

My Windows install "just works". Adding new hardware? It detects it and I insert the driver CD.

My fedora install "just worked" without anything really complicated on my part.

Fedora's a good distro, but I've always had to fight with it (or any Linux) to get, say, a DWL-520E to work.

On the other hand I have never had a windows install that "just worked" without hours of extra work to make it decent.

Please see above.

And since XP windows hasn't "Just worked" be[sic; "by"?] design.

Since it hasn't worked by design what?

They intentionally cripple their software

twitter, are you at it again [slashdot.org]?

through the use of 'product activation' and 'DRM' to essentially make laws via code.

Two things wrong with that:

1. Product activation takes two minutes at the most. You just tell it to activate, and copy/paste the activation code into the box.
2. What exactly are you trying to do that DRM prevents? Surely not simply listening to CDs or watching DVDs.

I'll stick with the software that respects the fact that its MY computer, not the RIAA or the MPAA

Although the *AA do tend to go overboard in their quest to stop piracy, what exactly does this have to do with Windows DRM? MS is simply complying with the DMCA. In the event that the Pirate Party takes over and the DMCA is overturned, I'm sure they will be more than happy to please the consumers (i.e. the source of their profits) by removing DRM and letting everyone get movies and music without having to pay a cent to those who created/produced them.

or the ... I'm not citing acronyms all day

Please don't. If I want to see acronyms I'll examine the current poll (which really should be changed btw).

but you get the idea.

I'm getting the idea that you're an Anonymous basement-shutin Coward who thinks he's big stuff just because he can spout off counter-productive OSS propaganda on an internet forum. Move aside, little man.

Ubuntu's, maybe

[Rob Simpson]

Try another distro. I tried a few, and SUSE was the only one that detected and worked with the wireless (using WPA-PSK right "out of the box", compared to the horror that is Ubuntu [ubuntu.com]) and audio on my laptop. It also uses KDE, which I prefer, and suspend/hibernate works fine.

Maybe I've had unusually bad experiences with it, and maybe my dislike of Gnome makes me biased, but I don't understand the popularity of Ubuntu. I certainly wouldn't introduce anyone to Linux using it. Besides SUSE, I've also used MEPIS on some systems...its LiveCD works well, though it doesn't boot with WPA-PSK ready.

Boiling frogs with Vista

[Freed]

Can anyone explain how Vista will flop given such low computer literacy? To those not yet opposed to DRM consider the following quote:

"If consumers even know there's a DRM, what it is, and how it works, we've already failed" - Disney Executive.

Help oppose DRM by signing up at http://defectivebydesign.org/ [defectivebydesign.org].

There are still many /.ers not opposed to DRM and yet who are unfairly flamed when in fact they need further education. In particular, learn more about ethics. Reflect on the long struggles to gain your freedoms and rights and how easily they are being snatched away from you (think of a boiling frog http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog [wikipedia.org]).

The astroturfing on blogs like /. is worse than ever. So many corporate shills appear that an "Astroturf" moderation category for /. is long overdue.