Vista SP1 is coming, resistance is futile
We\ufffdre targeting the first quarter of 2008, but the exact date really depends on feedback we receive from testers and the work we put into making sure we understand the feedback we receive. We\ufffdre making a beta available to more than 10,000 people in the next few weeks \ufffd that\ufffds a critical step for us on the road to release, and we\ufffdre looking forward to the feedback we\ufffdll get.
Pretty much right on schedule, SP1 is planned for 2008. No better then 50/50 on first quarter as it is not going into general beta till 4th quarter 2007.
The article is a puff press piece so it really doesn't say much about what will be included. A little new hardware support, some software improvements and a pile of bug fixes and security patches.
Probably the most interesting thing is a side bit mentioned at the bottom.
Finally, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 share the same code base, and we are choosing to unify the servicing between the two in order to simplify the long-term maintenance process and lower support costs for customers. To do this, we\ufffdre changing the files necessary to align the servicing components, which contributes to the larger size of the stand-alone image.
This has been true all along for Windows NT, but Microsoft has always denied it and claimed the two where different at the core. It was an important part of justifying charging so much more for the server version.
Jay