Microsoft

Although most of the attention these days is focused on where things are with Windows 7, Microsoft is getting closer to releasing the next update for Windows Vista.

On Wednesday, Microsoft offered some technical testers a near-final "release candidate" version of the Windows Vista Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2. The company did not say when that version might be made publicly available.

"We continuously engage with our partners and testers on the development of service packs and we will track customer and partner feedback from the beta program before setting a final date for distribution," Microsoft said in a statement. "We will have more to share on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 soon and are targeting final delivery in (the second quarter of) 2009."

The release of the updated SP2 test version was noted earlier on Thursday by Ars Technica. Microsoft has been working toward the release candidate version for some time now, after issuing a public beta of the update in December.

Meanwhile, Windows 7 is also moving toward the release candidate stage, with some sites noting that recent builds also contain the release candidate nomenclature, although Microsoft often labels its builds based on the version it is working toward.

While the world and its dog awaits Windows 7, Microsoft has another Vista service pack waiting in the wings.

Service Pack 2 is now into its release candidate phase, and Redmond has made an "escrow" version available to certain testers.

ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley got her hands on the e-mail that accompanied this week's news:

We are excited to announce RC-Escrow build as the next milestone release of Windows Vista SP2 / Windows Server 2008, now available for download. This build is available on Windows Update for download and install, or by a number of other package options."

There's no word yet on when SP2 itself will be coming out, but the "escrow" version seems to indicate a release sooner rather than later--certainly prior to Windows 7.

David Meyer of ZDNet UK reported from London.

Microsoft said on Tuesday that it is ready for broader testing of Windows Vista Service Pack 2, the second collection of fixes for the latest version of the operating system. In addition to bug fixes and performance tweaks, Service Pack 2 adds support for Blu-ray, Bluetooth 2.1, and Windows Search 4.0, the latest version of Microsoft's desktop search technology.

In a blog posting, Microsoft VP Mike Nash said that while Microsoft is offering the customer preview program to all interested parties, not everyone should download SP2 in test form.

"The (test version) is intended for technology enthusiasts, developers, and IT Pros who would like to test Service Pack 2 in their environments and with their applications prior to final release," Nash said. " For most customers, our best advice would be to wait until the final release prior to installing this service pack.

Microsoft announced in late October that it was starting limited testing of the update.

Nash said Vista SP2 is on track to arrive sometime before the end of June. "As of today, we are tracking to ship Windows Vista SP2 in the first half of 2009," Nash said.

The next update to Windows Vista will enter beta testing next week, bringing with it support for Blu-ray drives, among other enhancements.

In a blog posting on Friday, Microsoft confirmed that a beta version of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 will be released next week.

"Because we've adopted a single serviceability model, these improvements are integrated into a single service pack covering both Windows Vista (client) and Windows Server 2008 (server) versions," Windows executive Mike Nash said in a blog. "This should also minimize deployment and testing complexity for our customers."

The software maker said earlier this week that it was working on Vista SP2, but wouldn't go into detail. A support document posted this month, however, suggested a beta version was in the offing.

In addition to Blu-ray, Vista SP2 will add support for Bluetooth 2.1 as well as include Windows Search 4.0, the latest version of Microsoft's desktop search technology.

Microsoft encouraged those thinking about upgrading to Vista not to wait for SP2, however.

"One question I know that you will ask is 'should I wait for SP2?'," Nash said. "The reality is that Windows Vista SP1 is a great platform that is both available on new Windows PCs and available as a free download for systems that are running the 'gold' release of Windows Vista. While we will recommend SP2 when it ships, your best bet today is Windows Vista SP1."

Update: Asked about when Microsoft might ship SP2, a representative responded that "it is too early to talk about SP2's final release date."

"As always, the final release date is based on quality and we will track customer and partner feedback from the beta program before setting a final date for distribution," the representative said.

The announcement comes ahead of next week's Professional Developer Conference, where Microsoft is expected to detail Windows 7, as well as give developers a pre-beta version.

Update 2:As noted by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, A Microsoft site says to expect the final Vista SP2 release in the first half of 2009.

While most of the excitement around Windows and Office is around the next full versions of the products, Microsoft is also working on the next service pack updates for each product.

In a blog posting on Wednesday, Microsoft said that Office 2007 Service Pack 2 will come sometime between February and April of next year. It also listed many of the features in the update, which includes previously announced support for the Open Document Format.

The Windows team, on the other hand, is offering far less detail.

It will confirm that there is a Service Pack 2 for Vista, but that's about it.

"Microsoft is working on a second service pack for Windows Vista (Windows Vista SP2) and Windows Server 2008," Microsoft said in a statement. "Service packs are part of the traditional software lifecycle--they're something we create for all Microsoft products as part of our commitment to continuous improvement. And, as is standard, Microsoft is continuously having conversations with key stakeholders, prior to broadly distributing test builds. We will share more details in the coming months."

In an interview last week, Microsoft VP Brad Brooks said that the company had not, at that point, started outside beta testing of SP2.

However, ZDNet blogger Mary Jo Foley said that Microsoft has started to recruit testers for Vista SP2. Microsoft also posted a support document earlier this month that suggested a beta version exists.