Windows 7 may be grabbing all the headlines these days, but that doesn't mean Microsoft has forgotten about Windows Vista. ZDNet reports that while Windows 7 is due out next year, Microsoft plans to release at least one major update for Windows Vista before launching Windows 7.

In fact, a beta version of Windows Vista SP2 may already be in the hands of some Microsoft partners. Microsoft also plans to release a service pack called SP2 for Windows Server 2008 before Windows 7 drops. If you're feeling like you must have missed something, no there was never an SP1 for Windows Server 2008. But since the OS is built on Windows Vista SP1, the first service pack will get the SP2 treatment. Not that I have any problems with the way Microsoft names things...

There's no real information at the moment about what actual changes we'll see in the service packs. In related news, the first public beta of Windows 7 could be available as soon as mid-December.