Windows Vista RTM as early as Monday 11/06

Paul Thurrott
WinInfo
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/94132/94132.html

My sources at the software giant confirmed this weekend that Microsoft is set to finalize Windows Vista as early as Monday and release the product to manufacturing. The final build number is expected to be 6000.16386.061101-2205, I'm told. (Readers may recall that WinInfo broke the news that Microsoft would iterate Vista to build 6000 for the final release way back on August 25.)

In its quest to finalize Windows Vista, Microsoft has faced two hurdles in recent days, one technical and one a bit more unusual. The proposed final build was marred by a few late breaking bugs, which the company expects to squash over the weekend. Meanwhile, a power outage in the Windows build lab Friday night prevented Microsoft from creating a new Vista build that night.

As I've related in my "Road to Gold: The Long Road to Windows Vista" series on the SuperSite for Windows, Microsoft was angered earlier this year when analysts at Gartner were granted unprecedented access to Vista's bug database but published an opinion stating that the company would delay Vista past its January launch. This week, however, Michael Silver, the Research VP at Gartner finally admitted that his firm's repeated predictions about further Vista delays were wrong, delighting those on the Vista team.

"It appears that Microsoft will beat our prediction," Silver wrote in a Gartner blog. "We will congratulate Microsoft as they hit their dates." Prepare to issue that congratulations, Mr. Silver: Microsoft is set to release Windows Vista this very week.

 

Paul says now it is the eighth at the earliest.

 

Is the RTM version of Vista a step up from RC2? Any additional bug fixes or compatibility improvements? Or, for that matter, the pre-RTM (build 5840)???

Thanks...

 

So there is no difference between RC2 (5744), the pre-RTM (5840) or the RTM (6000)???

 

I am not sure how you would infer that there is no difference from what Steven R. Jones posted.

In fact, there is a great deal of difference in the three versions. There are features in the RTM that have never been in any previous release.

RTM, for Microsoft, is a major event.

 

Cool, thanks for clarifying!

 

Difference between RC-2, Pre-RTM and RTM

Hey all,
The main difference between those Vrs. is the visual look of icons (WMP, WINDVD etc.), and the final installation size (3GB initially and 1.9GB ultimately, after a major code sweeping process).
Other than that, if you guys are enrolled with some Volume Licenses and were smart enough to fetch some SA, you're now able to download (since a week ago) the FINAL releases of Vista Business and Vista Enterprise (=Windows Vista Ultimate + some features) and Office 2007 Enterprise Edition, including OneNote 2007, from the eOpen site, or the MVLS site.

I know i did it, and to tell you the truth, this whole new platform works like a charm!

P.S.
For any more MS insiders info, you know whom to ask....