14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft won’t launch any other service packs for the Windows platform, but it seems like the company may stick to this way of updating its software a little longer.
According to a report by ZDNet, Microsoft is preparing a new service pack for the Office productivity suite, as the company has started sending out invites to testers for what seems to be the second Office 2010 Service Pack.
The company hasn’t talked too much on the subject, but a spokesperson confirmed that the service pack would bring some previously unreleased fixes for several Office apps.
“This service pack beta includes previously unreleased fixes that were made specifically for this service pack. In addition to general product fixes, these fixes include improvements in stability, performance, and security. The service pack beta also includes all the public updates and cumulative updates (hotfixes) that have been released since Service Pack 1,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.
As for its decision to continue releasing service packs for the productivity suite, Microsoft refused to provide too many details, stating that future updates will meet customers’ needs.
“We will continue to deliver traditional (on-premises) client and server releases at intervals that meet our customers’ needs,” the same spokesperson added.
Microsoft is believed to be abandoning the service pack release cycle used for the Windows platform in the favor of regular and more frequent updates that could help keep the operating system fully patched at all times.
While there’s no clear indication in this regard, it may seem that the upcoming Windows Blue is the first update in a longer series of releases aimed at the Windows platform.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Windows Blue is likely to hit the market sometime this year, and to be offered either for free or with a very low price tag.