14 DAY TRIAL // Like it or not, this is the right time not only to upgrade to Windows Vista Service Pack 1 but also to tell hasta la vista to Windows XP. Even though Service Pack 3 for XP has only been available for a few months, almost two in fact, today, June 30, 2008, is the last day when Microsoft will allow retailers and OEMs to sell the operating system. Vista's successor will continue to be available via System builders until January 31, 2009, with the Home Edition of the client available to OEMs for preinstalling on ultra-low-cost mobile and desktop computers until June 30, 2010 or one year after the release of Windows 7.
At the end of 2007, Microsoft changed its mind about the official Windows XP lifecycle which had the original cut-off date for the retail and OEM channels set on January 31, 2008. However, the five months reprieve proved nothing more than a singular example for the company, which failed to breathe additional life into the operating system. While extended support is planned to last until 2014, shrink wrapped boxes and new machines preloaded with XP will no longer be on sale as of tomorrow, July 1, 2008.
The are alternatives to getting XP, and some of them involve downgrades, but now is the right time to upgrade to Vista. On one of our test computers today I played around with a Release Candidate of Vista SP1 which is also scheduled to expire today. I was trying to notice differences, especially in terms of performance compared to the RTM edition of the service pack.
But even at the level of a RC build, Vista SP1 performed admirably, the way that you would expect out of the latest Windows client. Then I did the unthinkable, I uninstalled SP1 RC, and tried to do my work with the RTM version of Vista. Going back from Vista SP1 to Vista RTM is like ending up in the middle of a car crash with nowhere to go. How in the world had I used Vista RTM for almost a year I will never figure out. Without SP1, Vista is just as bad as the operating system's worst critics say. But slap Service Pack 1 on top, and everything changes.
Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group might not give out too many details about Windows 7, but he did one good thing when it comes to the Windows project after he took the lead from Jim Allchin: (Former) Co-President, Platforms & Services Division. He made Vista usable with SP1.
Windows Vista SP1 is available for download here. Windows XP SP3 is available for download here.