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delay posts

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Microsoft delays XP Service Pack 3 to 2008, or never?

Windows XP SP3January 2008... that's 14 months away, and it's the soonest, says Microsoft, that we can expect Service Pack 3 for Windows. Redmond has pushed back the Big Patch to the first half of '08, which means, some analysts say, we may never see it at all. They remember how Microsoft totally dropped SP5 for Windows 2000 in favor of an "update rollup," which some say wasn't as thoroughly tested as a full-fledged Service Pack would have been. With the imminent release of Windows Vista, you might be wondering why any of this matters, but keep in mind that there are still millions of computers out there running Windows 98, and likewise XP is going to be hanging out on corporate networks for a long time to come. While Microsoft may eschew a third Service Pack, the hackers won't stop finding vulnerabilities and turning them into zombies. Some analysts see a bigger Vista connection: They say Microsoft is pushing back SP3 to give consumers and businesses a bigger incentive to buy their latest product.

Filed under: Windows, Microsoft, Commercial

Windows Vista not quite ready yet

Vista RTM delayedAccording to Microsoft exec Jim Allchin, Windows Vista isn't on track for RTM (release to manufacturing) on the its target date of October 25. Allchin says they're still "in pretty good shape" but that Vista doesn't yet fulfill all five categories they're looking at before RTM: reliability, security, performance, driver coverage and application compatibility. Allchin is confident they're still on track for Vista's January 2007 launch, but the delay will undoubtedly push back the launch to corporate customers, which Microsoft has said will be before the end of the year. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, who interviewed Allchin, has placed her wager on an early November RTM and a November 30 business launch.

Filed under: Internet, Security, Mozilla

Why Firefox makes you wait 3 seconds before installing extensions

Firefox extension delayHave you ever wondered why Firefox makes you wait three seconds before you can click on the Install button when you want to install an extension? Most users (self included) assume that it's just to make users read the dialog. It turns out that's not the case--Jesse Ruderman explains that it's actually a security feature to keep people from unwittingly installing malicious code. He describes an ingenious exploit in which a user is presented, for example, a security (CAPTCHA) image to type in. JavaScript is used to initiate an extension installation when the user starts typing, and when the user types 'y' or enter, it triggers the 'Accept' or 'Install' button, allowing the malicious software to be installed. Since many users type faster than they could respond to the box popping up, the software is installed before they can react. (If you're confused, head over to Ruderman's blog, he explains it better than I can.) The delay in Firefox gives the user time to react and stop typing. Mozilla describes the solution in bug 162020, but the same vulnerability exists in other browsers, most notably Internet Explorer and its ilk.

Filed under: Internet, Mozilla, Open Source

Firefox 2 delayed til mid-to-late October

FirefoxTechWeb is reporting that Mozilla Corp. has pushed back the release date of the final version of Firefox 2.0 into mid-to-late October, citing outstanding bugs. As of Monday's weekly progress meeting Firefox 2 has about 40 bugs to squash before it will be ready for a second beta release, and about 100 before its final release in October. Accordingly, Firefox 2.0 beta 2, which was supposed to be released yesterday, has been pushed back a week to August 23, and the first release candidate is scheduled to appear on September 19. You can read the full minutes of the meeting on the MozillaWiki.

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Commercial

Windows Vista just ain't gonna be ready

Vista?Bill Gates is on the record as saying there's an 80% chance Windows Vista will ship on time, but he seems to be the only one that certain it'll be ready. In order to meet its targeted release, Vista will have to be shipped to PC manufacturers in October or early November, which gives them somewhere between eight and fourteen weeks to get it done. More than a few people think that that's not possible, or at least very unwise. One of those people is .NET Developer and Vista enthusiast Robert McLaws, who is urging Microsoft to push the release back to February 2007. More interestingly, former Softie Robert Scoble has gone on the record agreeing with McLaws, writing, "If [Vista] ships in October, I will recommend not installing it and waiting for the first service pack. There's no way the quality will be high enough to trust it if it ships early. I hope Microsoft takes the time to do this right." Ouch. What's more, at Microsoft's recent meeting of financial analysts, Kevin Johnson, co-president of its Platforms & Services division, conspicuously avoided confirming Vista's ship date, saying it would ship "when it's ready."

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Commercial

Gates: "80 percent chance" Vista will see January launch

Windows VistaCertainty, it seems, isn't Microsoft's strong suit these days. Last we heard about Windows Vista's release date, Jim Allchin was saying it was right on track, but Steve Ballmer wasn't so sure. Now according to Bill Gates there's an "80 percent chance" that Vista will meet its targeted January launch date. That's what he said at a recent technology conference in Cape Town. Eighty percent isn't terrible, but I wouldn't make any bets with odds like that.

Filed under: Windows, Office, Microsoft, Commercial

Office 2007 delayed 'til, uh, 2007

Office 2007There's a reason Microsoft called the next version of its office suite Office 2007 despite its projected October 2006 release date, and this is it. To nobody's surprise, Microsoft has pushed its release date back to early 2007 "based on internal testing and the beta 2 feedback around product performance." It has also pledged to deliver a "system release" (which I think means for OEMs) of Office 2007 by the end of this year.

[Via Slashdot]

Filed under: Windows, Microsoft

Window Vista release will/won't slip further

Windows VistaI'm so confused. First I read this Reuters report from yesterday that says Microsoft "is 'confident' that [Windows Vista] will meet its targeted launch date." That's according to Jim Allchin, co-president of Microsoft's Platform Products and Services Group. But then today there's a story at NeoWin that quotes CEO Steve Ballmer saying, "We think we are on track for shipping early in the year. We've talked about the month, but we get a chance to critically assess all of the feedback we'll get from this beta release then confirm or move [the launch date] a few weeks." So which is it? Confident or not? I'm not exactly feeling reassured. Ballmer is the one that has the power to name a ship date and make it happen, but Allchin is a lot closer to the product itself and it's he who Ballmer probably asks "Is it done?" In other words, when Vista will finally drop is as uncertain as ever.

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Commercial

Windows Vista to be delayed even longer?

Windows VistaAnother significant delay for Windows Vista would drop it firmly into the vaporware category right next to Duke Nukem Forever, but that's what analysts are saying is about to happen. Research firm Gartner Inc. says that Vista's release date will slip by at least three more months, making a consumer release fall in Q2 '07, between April and June. Microsoft disagrees, however, saying that it's still on track for November and January release for the corporate and retail markets, respectively. Gartner is almost nonchalant about its projected delay, however, saying that a slip to March (March? Didn't you just say April-June?) would be nowhere near as bad as the slip to January that has already put Vista out of Christmas shopping territory.

[Via Engadget]

Filed under: Windows, Microsoft

60% of Windows Vista needs a rewrite?

Windows VistaAustralia's Smarthouse magazine says a Microsoft insider has confirmed that "up to 60% of the code in the [Windows Vista] is set to be rewritten." The article says that Vista's entertainment and media center functionality is experiencing "many problems," and programmers from the Xbox 360 have been pulled in to help fix them. Furthermore, Smarthouse says Microsoft has "initiated a total restructure of the [Windows] division." I don't see any of this being confirmed anywhere, but it sure sounds like a disaster. Will Vista be a leap for Windows like Windows 95, or is this the harbinger of another Windows ME?

[Thanks, Ed!]

Filed under: Windows, Office, Microsoft, Commercial

Office 2007 delayed, too

Microsoft Office 2007Following close behind the unsurprising delay of Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007 has also gotten the pushed back, according to Microsoft Watch's Mary Jo Foley. Like Vista, Office 2007 was expected to ship late this year, and like Vista, we can now expect it in January of next year. Microsoft says the delay is not a "slip in schedule," but "a change in delivery for the benefit of consumers and retailers," i.e. it's all about bundling. At least they won't have to change the name.

[Via Slashdot]

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Commercial

Vista delayed, nobody surprised

Windows VistaJust when it was starting to look like Windows Vista was actually going to make its late-'06 ship date, along comes news that the new OS won't be available to consumers until January 2007. Microsoft's Jim Allchin says Vista is being pushed back because due to development delays some PC makers were concerned they would not be able to ship this year while others would. However, volume licenses for businesses will be available beginning in November.

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