Developers get access to final Windows Vista code

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Saturday, 18 November 2006 06:26

Your IT - Entertainment

MSDN and TechNet subscribers get access to final Vista code two weeks before business users.

The countdown for developers wanting access to the full, final version of Windows Vista code has ended, with Microsoft granting access to MSDN and TechNet subscribers.

Those in the technical beta program, who submitted at least one bug report, are also being given a free copy of Windows Vista, although this program is not being extended to the general public that were also able to test Vista and submitted a bug report.

There’s still just under two weeks to go before businesses can access the final Vista and Office 2007 code, still set for a November 30 release, while consumers must wait until January 30 before likewise being able to purchase their own copies at retail.

Once consumers and businesses can get Vista, there are likely to already be updates to download through the Windows Update service, as Microsoft continues tweaking code and fixing bugs, with the update process set never to end in the broadband world we live in where such updates are easy to distribute to users.

While businesses are not expected to flock to Vista in large numbers to begin with, as they generally prefer not to disrupt their ‘standard operating environments’ until any undiscovered bugs are fixed, with some preferring to wait for the first service pack to appear, consumers are usually more forgiving, with many slated to be waiting for computers with Vista pre-loaded before making a purchase.

Some are also advising consumers to keep on waiting until approximately mid-year 2007, when PC hardware even more suited to running Vista will appear, as the initial PC configurations will be little more than existing technology tweaked to run Vista.

But for the early adopters of the world who can’t wait (like myself), a final version of Vista can’t come soon enough. We’re likely already running a release candidate version of Vista, and while this works well enough most of the time, there’s nothing like final release code to enhance the Vista experience to another level.