Exclusive: Windows Vista Interim Build, Beta 2 Update

Last week, I reported that Microsoft was prepping a Windows Vista interim build to deliver to beta testers and Technology Adoption Program (TAP) partners. That build has been delayed, but is still coming: Microsoft now plans to ship Vista build 5365 within the week.

Curiously, after posting my report last week, a number of other Web sites posted information about an interim build, including screenshots purporting to be of Vista build 5361. I have no information about the validity of those reports, but I can tell you that build 5365 is still happening, and will be delivered soon. Reports that the interim build is not happening are false.

"We are considering releasing updated Windows Vista code to Windows Vista Technical Beta program participants as well as select TAP customers, but do not have a date to share at this time," a Microsoft representative confirmed. "As you know, in addition to the CTPs, we sometimes provide a select group of testers with current pre-release versions of Windows Vista based on their feedback and testing needs. These builds are not CTPs. As we have said, the next CTP will conclude the Beta 2 process and will be called Beta 2. We are on track to deliver Beta 2 in the second quarter of this year."

Build 5365 will include major changes to the User Account Protection (UAP) feature, my sources tell me. It is now linked to something called "Secure Desktop," which is what the CTRL+ALT+DEL keyboard shortcut will now trigger as well. Microsoft changed the behavior of UAP in order to bypass a potential flaw in the original implementation. It's unclear whether such a major change at this late stage will cause any further delays in Vista's schedule.

Other new features in build 5365 include major changes to Windows Backup and the Windows Recovery Environment, and a further deemphasizing of the virtual folders/saved searches functionality, which drops almost all support for keywords.

Additionally, Microsoft is preparing to finalize Windows Vista Beta 2 (currently set to be build 5372) on May 22, two days earlier than the previous schedule. Microsoft is planning to distribute Beta 2 at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), which is being held that week in Seattle.

For more information about Windows Vista, you should check out the recently posted conclusion to my Vista February CTP/Build 5342 review, Where Vista Fails, in which I point out the various broken promises and missing features that making Vista a disappointing upgrade.

End of Article

From Paul's review, it looks like he not only disliked UAP, he loathed it.:-)

In parts 4 and 5 of his review he has slammed MS in general and Vista in particular. I wonder why he gave it a five-head (5 star) rating, though?

shark47 April 20, 2006 (Article Rating:

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Good question. In the meantime, here's a special Vista feature presentation:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4134446112378047444&q=Motorrider&pl=true

bonch April 20, 2006 (Article Rating:

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After this week's fiasco on the NGs, I hope we get this update this week but I'll beleive it when I see it.

Jason Cox April 20, 2006 (Article Rating:

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I *knew* when I saw bonch's link that it would be Apple related.

Bonch: In those items that were shown, Vista does them better. I can elaborate if necessary.

As for those who think Vista is just eye-candy and no substance, look at this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Features_new_to_Windows_Vista

Does OS X have *All* of those features and more? Not to my knowledge!

NateB2 April 21, 2006 (Article Rating:

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"major changes to Windows Backup and the Windows Recovery Environment, and a further deemphasizing of the virtual folders/saved searches functionality, which drops almost all support for keywords."

Why would you remove funtionality from a feature more likely to be used by most people every day? Screw the recovery and backup management, these have never been an issue for me. Just buy a extrenal hardrive and cheap backup software to run everynight.

anonymous April 21, 2006 (Article Rating:

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Bonch, first of all, why are you posting the same comment all over the place?

Secondly, the video discusses a very small subset of features in Vista.

Thirdly, MS had planned to have features like desktop search in Vista before Apple released OS X Tiger.

Fourthly, when Paul says he expected this OS to be out of the world, I wonder what he was talking about. If Vista is stable and fast, it'll succeed mainly because under its new Aero glass graphics, it's still a familiar Windows Operating System at heart.

shark47 April 21, 2006 (Article Rating:

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I read through the wiki list of WinVista features, but I'm still not impressed. The most meaningful features are already available via third parties.

I'm NOT attacking NateB2! Vista is not meaningless and will undoubtedly be finanically successful. However, I respectfully contend that Microsoft is not creating a compelling reason to upgrade.

mwrisner April 21, 2006 (Article Rating:

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I agree that Vista could have been better. Many of the features are either already available through third parties and some features like Win Calendar are direct copies of OS X applications. MS, with so many people working on it, could have done better. The problem is that MS cannot do something dramatic with Vista the way they did with Windows 95. Things are different today and MS has to ensure that whatever they do, Vista has to be a Windows OS. When the average joe upgrades to Vista from Windows XP, he should immediately be at home with it. That's what MS wants. Of course, vista would have been a lot more relavant had it been released a year ago.

yahoo April 21, 2006 (Article Rating:

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"I'm NOT attacking NateB2!"

No offense taken :)

A "compelling reason" can be very subjective. If someone finds out that features they consider very important are now in Windows Vista, they will consider it a "compelling" reason to upgrade. Likewise, someone such as mswrisner looked through the list and did not find features he thought were important, and thus he does not find it not a "compelling" reason to upgrade. Both views are perfectly acceptable!

What IS unacceptable is the constant bashing of the opposite OS and constantly writing/flaming in almost EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE how bad it is.

Summary: differing opinions are fine, flaming is not.

NateB2 April 21, 2006 (Article Rating:

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"Thirdly, MS had planned to have features like desktop search in Vista before Apple released OS X Tiger."

For those of us who actually remember this in 2003... Both companies (who also were not the only two) were in discussions of a so-called "desktop search" feature. Steve Jobs revealed Spotlight at the World Wide Developer's Conference in the first week of June, 2004 and one year later it was released. Jobs showed the world exactly what Apple's feature would be before Microsoft showed the world what they would have in Vista. Apple gave developers a full beta of Spotlight before Microsoft's developments in Vista. The "idea" has been thrown around for years yo. Apple most certainly did beat Microsoft to the punch on this feature, and it won't be until two years after Apple released it that Microsoft can finally make it happen.

What's really important here? This gets thrown around more than the word love in this industry. Who came up with the idea first is highly up for extensive debate, even party camps don't know who truely had the team that had the idea first. IMO, it doesn't matter. Apple released a full developer conference with betas to test and work on the feature two years before Microsoft's last summer. Apple also released the final version along side Tiger one and a half to possibly two years before Microsoft Vista. Credit is given where credit is due, and who earned the credit for producing this way ahead of everyone else is Apple. An idea is only an idea, but who put it to use years ahead of Microsoft shark?

DerekTraver April 21, 2006 (Article Rating:

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