We went to RTM (Release-to-manufacturing for those of you new to the world of Microsoft software releases) today at 11:00AM – and I couldn’t be prouder.
Labeling the software "RTM" or "Gold" means that the submission process is frozen, no no further changes to the codebase will be made, and most importantly, that the software has passed all tests that benchmark our standards of acceptability for the release.
This last bullet should not be taken lightly. Some of the more skeptical would probably sneer at that last sentence muttering to themselves, "Microsoft’s standards? Ha!" or "Acceptable to who?"
I should remind everyone that the Windows Vista codebase is one that has its roots in the Windows Server 2003 foundation which has had a remarkable albeit completely unheralded track record for stability, reliability, & security. I would also submit that not product has had the scrutiny of our internal security auditing process quite like Windows Vista’s development. In fact, Windows Vista’s security is the very thing that often irritates many people (User Access Control dialogs, for instance) but that only goes to demonstrate the tight rope that the dev team walked upon in order to ensure that Windows Vista would be the absolutely most secure OS we’d ever developed, above even Windows Server 2003 R2. (More on this later when I write about User Access Control – UAC – and why the media’s annoyance with it is a temporary thing.)
Here’s what got posted to PressPass:
Microsoft Windows Vista Released to Manufacturing
As Windows Vista hits the Release to Manufacturing milestone, Microsoft looks back at what it took to build the most heavily tested, highest quality and most secure operating system in the company’s history.
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A few factoids about the RTM release:
BUILD NUMBER: The RTM Build number is 6000. Like most releases, we’ve jumped from 57xx to a even number for the gold build.
HARDWARE SUPPORT: Windows Vista supports more hardware than ever. Hundreds of OEMs and thousands of systems builders will pre-install Windows Vista, which will have more than 50% more device drivers inbox at RTM than Windows XP had, plus thousands more will be on Windows Update before general availability.
IMAGE DEPLOYMENT: This is the first time we’ve supported a broad array of product skus to help address different customer segments – and they’re all supported using a single product image. The same DVD can be used to install any of the product images.
Also, this is the first time that customers will be able to deploy worldwide on diverse hardware all with a single IT-managed image. And it’s the first time that this image can be serviced offline. And because of the great improvements in deployment tools, it’s the first time that leading OEMs will be able to drive their mission-critical manufacturing process for building and configuring machines using only inbox tools. Windows Vista deploys Windows Vista!
Additionally, Windows Vista is the fastest installing version of Windows when installing on then current generation hardware. Install times of Windows Vista on normal desktop class hardware regularly clock in at between 15 and 20 minutes.
AVAILABILITY: The released software will NOT be available on Connect. It’ll only be posted for download at two locations:
– Microsoft Volume Licensing Service (https://licensing.microsoft.com) mid-November. (MVLS usage is restricted to customers with Enterprise Agreements or Select Agreements.)
– Microsoft Developers Network (http://msdn.microsoft.com) on a TBD date. (MSDN usage is restricted to customers with MSDN subscriptions through Microsoft.)
– Consumers will be able to get Windows Vista broadly on January 30, 2007.
LANGUAGES: 32 languages of Windows Vista will be available over the next 3 months. Over the next year, we will have over 100 localized versions of Windows Vista.
PRESS ACCOLADE: Here’s a few choice quotes from the press about Windows Vista.
- The long wait for Microsoft’s next operating system, Windows Vista, is almost over. Dramatically redesigned, the new OS features tighter security, slicker visuals and friendlier—one might be tempted to say Mac-like—applications for managing photos, movies and music.
–Wilson Rothman, TIME - If all Windows users were running Vista, the world would be a much safer place.
–Larry Seltzer/eWEEK - As to Microsoft (Windows) Vista, bravo. … It brilliantly and intuitively lets one use a PC with extreme efficiency and/or enjoyment.
–James Coates/Chicago Tribune - One of Vista’s biggest promises and one of the best inducements to want it now – is to help you regain the upper hand in the battle against information overload.
–John Clyman/PC Magazine - With Vista, Microsoft has made significant investments in connecting people to information so they could work in smarter ways, which is essential for the enterprise.
–Peter Galli and David Morgenstern/eWEEK - There are a lot of things in Vista for the enterprise that are compelling. You have security, management, robustness, fewer reboots…. I think a lot of people will refresh their desktops, servers and applications.
–Peter O’Kelly, an analyst with Burton Group in Network World
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