The Vista RC1 build is solid and speedy, although there are still plenty of issues with it. But no matter what, it will ship on time — Paul Thurrott points out a clever way for Microsoft to ship Vista, even if it’s not ready for prime time.
The timeline for Vista ship is this: Code finalizes on October 27, and Windows Vista Enterprise edition ships as a volume-license version by the end of November. Then at the end of January, 2007, Vista ships on new PCs, and is available via retail.
What about all the driver issues, hardware glitches, software incompatibilities, and related problems most likely to still be around on October 27?
No problem. Because Vista isn’t due until January, Microsoft can work on fixes for several more months. Then when someone fires up Vista in January, those fixes will auto-update directly into the OS.
In Thurrott’s words, “This is the software equivalent of pulling a plane away from the gate at an airport and then claiming an on-time departure: It feels deceptive, but it gets the job done.”
Don’t be surprised if this is exactly what happens.
Well duh....that's the whole point of windows update...to fix problems after it's too late to get them into a release. The only way this won't be what happens is if Vista is perfect and never needs a hotfix or service pack...which is impossible. No OS (or any piece of software for that matter) is ever released with zero known issues.
So, how would that be different from any other version of Windows ever released? That is Microsoft's "Modus Operandi": Release software wether it is ready or not, then release a slew of service packs and hotfixes for the next 5 years. And usually you don't end up with a reliable system until the famous "SP2" version... Remeber Windows 98? Was a complete waste of time until SP2 (didn't even have USB support!) and then of course Windows XP which was slow and buggy until SP2, (now it's slow and slightly less buggy) and most devices you buy aren't supported unless you have SP2.
Yes it will ship on time, BUT I wouldn't buy it for production use until it reaches SP2.