Final Windows Vista candidate "not there yet:" PC Mag
updated 03:30 pm EDT, Mon October 9, 2006
Windows Vista Not Ready
The release of Windows Vista RC2 led many to believe that Microsoft would indeed ship its upcoming OS to manufacturing for the scheduled October 25th date. Testing over the course of the weekend has called into question the status of this final beta release, according to separate journalist reports. Scot Finnie of ComputerWorld notes that commonly available hardware such as SoundMAX integrated audio still doesn't have drivers, preventing many participants in the beta program from using Vista for everyday tasks.
"There's just no excuse for this," Finnie said.
Similar problems were encountered by PC Magazine's John Clyman, who writes about performance and visual problems that affected a test system despite the near-final state of the OS. "It's not there yet," says Clyman of RC2's quality. Despite the increased refinement over earlier versions, he says, Vista is likely to require an interim RC2 update or even a full RC3 revision before Microsoft can declare the software complete and ready for mainstream use. The OS is not expected to be available to the general public until January.
