Windows Vista is Release Candidate!
Finally, the RC1 (build 5600) is rolled out of Redmond. I've noticed a lot of improvement in both Pre-RC1 and RC1 since July CTP. Some notable things are:
- Installation is a breeze. My typical machine installed RC1 in exactly 30 minutes.
- Search Indexer stability is well improved. From “almost always” to “nearly ever” crash.
- New icons and polish. Nice artistic job!
But the bad things are:
- Intel D865PERL drivers are not updated yet. Silly sound problems from Build 5384 still exists up until now.
- RC1 seems to be a little less stable than Pre-RC1.
Overall system performance have also been improved. I'm now productive even in 512Mb machines.
The related WinFX, oops, .NET Framework 3.0 is also ready to download. Although VS Extensions are still due next week.
P.S.: For all of you who haven't got any access to the latest version since Beta 2, fear not, MS will open up the RC1 to public next week. Prepare your download bandwith until then, it's a whopping 2.5Gb download.
P.S.S.: Also on the edge is Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh due next two weeks. Wow, what a month of good releases from Redmond. Keep up the good work, guys!
P.S.S.S: I'll be writing a small book about Windows Vista new features. Hopefully it'll be available before the formal launch early next year!