Is That It?

Is this the service pack we’ve all been waiting for?

News had spread like wildfire about the availability of a collection of patches that might form the core of Vista’s first Service Pack. The hotfixes are not for Vista though, but for Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Server 2008. Still, Vista users hogged Web sites which offer free downloads of the patches because their OS and Server 2008 are basically built on the same architecture.

The two updates, “Vista Performance and Reliability Pack and “Vista Compatibility and Reliability Pack,” were meant for beta testers of Windows Server 2008 only. However, the fixes were leaked to several Web sites, and have since been shared by users on the Internet.

Who’s Asking For It?

Time has pacified clamors for the early release of Vista SP1. Many may have even forgotten all about it. Either they have gotten tired of knocking at Microsoft’s door for it or they have found alternative solutions to their problems. For example, the usefulness of the compatibility and reliability pack has already been watered down by efficient device driver finders on the Internet. Compatibility problems were very common during the first few days of Vista’s release. However, the pandemonium created by Microsoft’s inability to offer solutions or slow response to the problem was already quelled by device driver finders, such as RadarSync, by offering Vista drivers.

As for the performance and reliability pack, its usefulness or necessity might have already been diluted, too, by the release of faster PC hardware and peripherals. Chip makers are coming up with faster and more efficient processors every quarter, making large and complex application processes inconsequential. Likewise, newer and better peripherals, such as video cards and hard drives, are handling heavy software tasks without a sweat. RAM is also getting cheap, with many users being able to pack their units with gigabytes of it. System tools have also played a vital role in keeping PCs in top shape, thereby ensuring that the unit would be able to run programs at optimized speeds.

Something Better

While it’s too early to tell whether these two Server 2008 hotfixes will form the backbone of Vista’s first service pack, many are already telling Microsoft that it should offer something better than the two groups of patches that were recently leaked. While the updates have improved performance and insured the compatibility and reliability of various software and hardware components, the problems that they have fixed are either not that serious or can be easily resolved by other means.

Vista SP1 should answer more serious issues or problems since the less threatening ones have already been solved or can easily be handled by other hardware and software makers. I’m sure Microsoft will come up with something better for Vista. I even think that Vista’s maker deliberately leaked the two updates to gauge user sentiments on whether the fixes are efficient or comprehensive enough. Maybe this is the reason why Microsoft is still gagging itself as to the definite date of Vista SP1’s release.

Entry Filed under: Device Drivers