Windows XP SP3 is released
Vista beater gets better
WINDOWS XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) was released to manufacturing by Microsoft yesterday.
According to a TechNet posting by Windows XP SP3 Release Manager Chris Keroack, Microsoft will shortly make Windows XP SP3 available to its OEM and Enterprise customers.
He says that it will be available via Windows Update and Download Center on April 29th, but release via Automatic Update won't occur until early summer.
The Vole has had a notably easier time preparing SP3 for XP than it stumbled through trying to get out SP1 for Vista. That's due in some part to Windows XP being a more mature operating system, undoubtedly.
However, Windows XP is a much more stable and mature code base, in that it actually has had working software drivers for virtually all current PC devices and peripherals for some time and doesn't incorporate a bunch of ill-designed and haphazardly implemented digital restriction scams and security schemes.
So good news for all Windows XP users then. They might be stuck in the past, still running a Microsoft OS, but at least they're not completely daft, and now they've got a new service pack that should improve their prospects of keeping Windows XP working fairly well for them, and Vista at bay, for at least another year or two.
Microsoft's announcement is here. µ

Comments
Hopefuly it will install!
Yes I'm feeling as this is XP it will at least install properly. Unlike the thousands of us with mysteriously recently corrupted MS update systems on Vista that MS cant/wont fix (all the fixes and patches, yep tried em all, they dont work). Total cock-up really.Nobody will even notice
On 29th April the world will be too busy playing GTA4 on their Xbox 360 (aka "The only decent thing created by M$") to notice that their not-so-dead OS is getting an insignificant upgrade...Service Packs
You got it all wrong, there is ANOTHER service pack coming out 13 of May.It's the fourth and final service pack for windows. It's called Fedora Core 9.
INNIT!
aka what??
"Xbox 360 (aka "The only decent thing created by M$")"Is the same xbox360 that has a 30% fail rate due to minimal Q&A testing so that they could rush it to market a year early? hmm...
But very Strangely,
as is discussed right in your link, Microsoft intends to offer it to the general public via Windows Update (as an optional selection) *BEFORE* offering it on TechNet/MSDN.Some 'Enterprise' people, who've paid money to be on TechNet, feel insulted by this.
PFFT Fedora core 9
LOL always a Linux troll.. Guess what your super soar away operating system has had years to touch XP and has yet to even make a dent.. heck even when MS drops the ball more users use Vista then Fedora.. nice try Linux troll keep using your third world OS..Fedora????
OK can fedora core 9 get the average user online with a store bought wireless card????????Didn't think so
come back in 5 years maybe then the community might have that figured out.
available now if you can use Google
"He says that it will be available via Windows Update and Download Center on April 29th, but release via Automatic Update won't occur until early summer."If you don't want to waid a week, it's available now if you can use Google. Look for
MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.XP.SERVICE.PACK.3.v5.1.2600.5512.RTM
A notice on not noticing...
I'd say that vast majority of people are not savvy enough to care about installing service packs and stuff. So yeah, *many* won't notice. But as far as service packs go I bet this one will be likely the most popular SP of recent few years. Actually, would be interesting to see how many times XP SP3 will be downloaded in its first, say, 3 months after its release compared to same time period for Volista SP1.As for Xbox 360, well... I'm an avid gamer, but personally could not care less about console gaming in general - I like my PC gaming - gives me way more choices in terms of both hardware and game titles, and less dependence on Vole's mood. But then again, I've been waiting for this SP3 for well over 2 years, and they really took their time, darn 'em!
Actually...
It's Fedora 9 (they dropped the Core bit a while ago)Ubuntu 8 April 24 (2 days)
Fedora 9 May 13
OpenSuse 11 June 19
but don't knock XP SP3, XP is a fine OS.
linux nerds
hi linux nerds,still having a go at VIsta after all this time despite it being more resilient to attacks than any Linux distro?
still living in the past? still playing Magic: The Gathering with the rest of your black t-shirt wearing Linux friends? Still got no girlfriend, dandruff and poor personal hygene? Good job. See you next service pack when you once again evangelise the Linux gospel and preach about how Microsoft products are inferior as if the year is still 1998 when you actually had a point. Times change. Linux is insecure; Vista, by comparison is much safer. Sadly the old Linux crew can't see the wood for the trees. It's like their open-source fetish... open-source is a redundant ideology in the age of torrents and it's just bad news for security. Why do you need source code? So you can take secure software, botch it and make it open to exploits? Good job hippy. See you at the next Magic: The Gathering meet with all the other time-wasting Linux pokenerds!
Will it break?
Hmm is it really a service pack or a time bomb? What better way to get people to update to Vista than to fubar WinXP. I would not put it past MS to torpedo XP just to get people to upgrade to Vista.Hole dweller...
Token vole supporter wrote:"Linux is insecure; Vista, by comparison is much safer."
Thanks for the belly-laugh.
@spen83
Why do you feel so much resentment towards people you disagree with? Are you feeling a little bit insecure?I'm afraid that by revealing how distorted your view of things is, the only thing you've achieved is to demonstrate how neurotic you are.
Already tested RC2
I've been running SP3 RC2 for a few weeks now. Just one little glitch from IE - but a reg tweek and that's gone too. Can't wait to see the final product.Like madness
Is the person suggesting we download SP3 from pirate web sites got his brain screwed in the right way around?If he has any IT qualifications, kindly place them in a near by bucket and rewrite his CV.
tried it did not like it
tried it did not like it,dumped itTrolls and idiots
FIrst off @thurdMS didnt create GTA4, you're obviously one of the new generation xbox360fanbois(like my 13 y.o. son) who think MS is god.(read moar inq idiot!!!)
Second spen83
He is obviously an apple user, trying to troll the Linux heads into thinking all MS users are complete idiots like him (not doin a bad job of trollin for an apple user either)
FInally if you're use MS S/W for a while, you know not to trust MS and their latest bucket o' sh1te (SP3 or VIsta), leave that to the fanbois like 'thurd'
btw, XP doesn't rock, it functions well, loads of documented support & doesn't crash if u know what youre doing, which I can't say for Vista.
Linux is the backbone of the internet
Don't see too many routers running embedded versions of winanything, and you never will, not stable enough
for the fun
http://www.linuxgenuineadvantage.org/
re: Nobody will even notice
Is GTA IV even available on the 360? I thought it was a Playstation exclusive..Check digital signature
While I would certainly agree that anyone installing an OS image acquired from untrusted sources should have their head examined, I would also stress that most binary images released by Microsoft are digitally signed. So those who get SP3 RTM from shady sources can still reasonably argue they have not totally lost their mind just so long as they remember to check the validity of the digital signature on the file before even thinking of running it.Mark Russinovich's SigCheck should do the trick, me thinks.
Fix for Vista
There are a number of Fixes for Vista around at the moment, which will eliminate all the Vista problems.Notable ones are Centos 5.1 and Windows XP.
Installing either of these over the top of Vista will fix all the current issues.
hmmmm
trolls make me happy!!!!!11111oneTrolls and Idiots
Firstly, hi thereA response to p0ln:
Amen brother.
Secondly, I have been around the market and PC business a long time. I don't mind any approach regarding open-source or otherwise, as long there is a plausible purpose. But one has to wonder about why the business is driven by those freaking names attached to every crapy attempt to issue an OS or SP? Besides the OS is becoming a whole pile of something due to the protections intrinsic to the safety of the user. Remeber when we used to run OS like win95 on P S 133 MHZ. All that changed is the user interface and some code in backgrounp behaviour, We must ask the question, how far are we willing to sacrifice processing power and memory space for the sake of new programming languages that were built by other programming languages that use un-necessary loops and codes? I don't wish to sound old fashioned, but OLE is starting to sound like a chain of constraints. I compare it to fast food, good for the moment. How much of any SP is built on that mumbo jumbo?
@spen83
Great commentary!