Windows Vista: RTM news and more

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Saturday, 28 October 2006 19:49

Your IT - Entertainment

When Windows Vista is lauched, it will be internally known as Windows 6.0. With build number 6.0.5920.16384 just released, the magic RTM build is nearly here. Also updates on other Windows Vista news.

The latest build for Windows Vista is 6.0.5920 and the rest. When Microsoft release the RTM version on or before November 8, reports are that it will be pushed up to 6.0.6000 – if Microsoft continues following the same numbering convention.

Leaving aside the fact there are six numbers and two other sixes to contend with (we don’t want to encourage any conspiracy theorists), there’s every chance that by the time the boxed consumer versions land in stores, the version number will actually be higher than the 6000 figure for the RTM.

This is because Microsoft has already stated in the past that they intend using the extra time between the late November business launch and the January consumer launch to continue polishing Vista. Naturally there’ll have to be another cut-off point, so the final code can go to the CD duplication factories ready for worldwide shipping.

Of course, this will only be for major languages. Windows Vista will be available in many different languages, but the lesser known ones will have their versions released in the weeks after the main language versions.

Microsoft's soon-to-retire head Vista honcho Jim Allchin has also launched a new Vista team blog, with a look and feel clearly inspired by Vista itself. Although Vista is nearly complete, the project will continue with updates, service packs, security updates and more, and will be the place to see what the Microsoft team working on the project have to say.

A series of step-by-step guides has been released by Microsoft to provide instructions for deploying or migrating to Windows Vista. These guides also describe how to configure security, monitor performance, and manage printers. 

News has also emerged of one of the extras to be found in the AUD $750+ version of Windows Vista Ultimate. Known as ‘Motion Desktop’, it will allow you to animate the Windows desktop background, in much the same way that Mac OS X users have been able to do for some time now.
There’ll need to be much more than an animated desktop background in Vista Ultimate to justify the price tag of nearly double the Home Premium version. No doubt Microsoft has been busily working away on a range of bonuses and extras for Ultimate users.

Microsoft are also planning on having a greatly expanded range of Gadgets for the Sidebar feature of Vista.

Let’s just hope that the Extras and the Gadgets are truly exciting and worthy at the time of the consumer launch, because if they’re lame, Microsoft will never live it down.