14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is delivering a brand new Windows Vista update experience. But the fresh update model from the Redmond company is not limited to just its latest operating system. The final version of the Microsoft Update Catalog went live as of August 14. The new service is designed to tailor fit update distribution in corporate networks scenarios. The Redmond company recommends the Update Catalog as the main source for software updates, drivers, and hotfixes. Blurring the line between a specific platform or software product and the updates associated exclusively with it, the Microsoft Update Catalog enables additional flexibility in deploying refreshes.
"I am excited to announce that we have released version 1.0 of the Microsoft Update Catalog! With the new Catalog, you can search for updates available through the Microsoft Update service and download them to your machine (regardless of whether the update is applicable to your machine). You can also import updates from the Catalog directly into WSUS 3.0, System Center Essentials 2007, or System Center Configuration Manager 2007," revealed the Program Manager for Microsoft Update.
For the design of the Microsoft Update Catalog, the company implemented a search-based interface. This of course automatically implies that the user already knows what they are looking for. Still, a hierarchical enumeration of updates, in accordance with a product would have been a better solution. This mainly because the sheer volume of results returned to a query using general terms can be discouraging to say the least.
The Program Manager for Microsoft Update additionally underscored "some key features of the MU Catalog: - Full-text search: You can search using a keyword, KB article, MSRC bulletin, driver manufacturer, driver model, driver version, product, and/or classification. - RSS: Save your searches in RSS and get notified when new updates match your criteria. - Download with BITS: We use BITS to make the download experience robust and efficient. - "Shopping basket": You can select multiple updates (and multiple languages) and download them together. - Integration with WSUS: You can import updates from your basket into Windows Server Update Services 3.0, System Center Essentials 2007 or System Center Configuration Manager 2007. - Localization: The Catalog is localized in all core Windows Vista languages."