Vista - Exclusive: Microsoft Still Plans October 2006 Vista Release

LOL it's fun to tease the Softies in person about how many times they use
the word "Leverige" in a presentation. Some of th office types who mean
well and are plenty smart use leverage the way a Vallie girl wanna be puts
"like" unnecessarily in front of every single word--Baby boomers too to seem
young to their kids, their girlfriends, their boyfriends or whomever.

It reminds me of this excellent book on corporate speak. I just find it
strange for MSFT to be using anything that denotes a legal guarantee with
what they seem determined to bum's rush to the Redmond choppers. I'd like a
close up of Jim Allchin's face if he waves goodbye to this turkey without
months of work into 2007. Paul Thurott ironically wrote a criticism of
their progress just days ago and I wonder if he needs a drink or two to
write RC! ships after Labor Day and then by the same date that XP launches
were held it will RTM on October 25, 2006.

Lol hey Redmonsoft why not just RTM by this weekend. What the hell.

CH



"Intel Inside" <REMOVETHISBIT@com> wrote in message
news:e1oZRBPwGHA.3392@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> "Microsoft has placed build 5520 into escrow as the RC1 of Vista"
>
> Considering definition of escrow is "a piece of property held in trust by
> a third party to be turned over to the grantee only upon fulfillment of a
> condition", it makes me wonder why the word escrow is even used.
> The agreeement is normally between the 1st and 2nd parties, presumably MS
> and the public. (In this case the 3rd party would be the Beta testers).
> So this begs the question, what is the 'condition' b/w MS and the public?,
> and if it was 'fulfilled' what would the beta testers turn over?.
>
> See my logic?. 'Escrow' appears to be a poor word choice.
>
>
> "MICHAEL" <u158627_emr@dslr.net> wrote in message
> news:OwuVagIwGHA.3964@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...182/93182.html
>>
>> According to sources at Microsoft, the company plans to ship Windows
>> Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) in early September. More important,
>> perhaps, is that Microsoft still plans to release Vista to manufacturing
>> by the end of October as previously planned, defying rumors that the
>> company would delay Vista yet again.
>> Although I'm not at liberty to divulge the full contents of the message,
>> Microsoft has placed build 5520 into escrow as the RC1 of Vista. This
>> build will be released to testers and the public after the Labor Day
>> holiday in the United States, which falls this year on September 4.
>> Currently, Microsoft expects to ship RC1 on or after September 7.
>>
>> Meanwhile, the release to manufacturing (RTM), or final, version of Vista
>> is set for a September 2006 escrow and final release on or before October
>> 25. We can expect a Longhorn Server Beta 3 release in first quarter 2007,
>> an RC2 release in second quarter 2007, and the final release in the
>> second half of 2007.
>>
>> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...181/93181.html
>>
>> OneStat: Windows Continues to Dominate
>> Microsoft's next-generation OS, Windows Vista, continues to be horribly
>> late, but that hasn't stopped the current version, Windows XP, from
>> dominating the OS market. Web analytics company OneStat.com says that XP
>> is responsible for almost 87 percent of all Web usage, while all Windows
>> versions combined account for 97 percent of Web usage.
>>
>>
>> "Microsoft's Windows dominates the operating system market with a global
>> usage share of 96.97 percent," OneStat.com reports. "The leading
>> operating system on the Web is Microsoft's Windows XP with a global usage
>> share of 86.80 percent. Microsoft's Windows 2000 has a global usage share
>> of 6.09 percent and is the second most popular OS on the Web."
>>
>>
>> You read that right. Windows 2000 is the second most often used OS on the
>> Web, with almost three times the usage share of all Macintosh versions
>> combined. During an event keynote last week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was
>> quick to point out that Mac OS X was "gaining market share," but Apple
>> has made only concrete gains in very specific markets, such as "retail
>> sales of notebook computers in the US." In reality, Mac OS X usage is
>> still below 2.5 percent worldwide. Even the 8-year-old Windows 98, with
>> 2.68 percent of the market, accounts for more users than OS X does.
>>
>>
>> Many had expected Apple's recent successes with the dominant iPod MP3
>> player and the move to Macs that use Intel chips to increase the
>> company's share of the OS market. That hasn't happened yet, although it
>> still could: With Vista not scheduled for general availability until
>> early 2007, Apple has an opening during which it can sell Mac OS X
>> systems to Windows converts while pushing its next-generation OS,
>> code-named Leopard.
>>
>>
>> According to OneStat.com, the following are the most frequently used OSs
>> on the Web in the world:
>>
>>
>> 1. Windows XP - 86.80 percent
>> 2. Windows 2000 - 6.09 percent
>> 3. Windows 98 - 2.68 percent
>> 4. Macintosh/ Macintosh Power PC - 2.47 percent
>> 5. Windows Me - 1.09 percent
>> 6. Linux - 0.36 percent
>> 7. Windows NT - 0.24 percent
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Michael
>> ______
>> "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools,
>> but that the lightning ain't distributed right."
>> - Mark Twain
>>
>>
>
>

Those stats are incredible.

But Jimmy, the item held in escrow is not supposed to be handed over until
the fulfillment is met.


"Jimmy Brush" <JimmyBrush@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:ufkYDHPwGHA.3392@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>I think the 'condition' is that the code is at a release-candidate level.
>And that it will stay there until that condition is fullfilled. But just
>guessing here.
>
> - JB
>
> Vista Support FAQ
> http://www.jimmah.com/vista/

Oh Hi Chad, you're like um? really correct!. That's like so cool!.

Seriously, your post reminds me of the IT industry's overuse of the word
"paradigm". I got sick of hearing it.


"Chad Harris" <HQ@MSFTtindenialovervistamess.com> wrote in message
news:e5xj7hPwGHA.724@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> LOL it's fun to tease the Softies in person about how many times they use
> the word "Leverige" in a presentation. Some of th office types who mean
> well and are plenty smart use leverage the way a Vallie girl wanna be puts
> "like" unnecessarily in front of every single word--Baby boomers too to
> seem young to their kids, their girlfriends, their boyfriends or whomever.
>
> It reminds me of this excellent book on corporate speak. I just find it
> strange for MSFT to be using anything that denotes a legal guarantee with
> what they seem determined to bum's rush to the Redmond choppers. I'd like
> a close up of Jim Allchin's face if he waves goodbye to this turkey
> without months of work into 2007. Paul Thurott ironically wrote a
> criticism of their progress just days ago and I wonder if he needs a
> drink or two to write RC! ships after Labor Day and then by the same date
> that XP launches were held it will RTM on October 25, 2006.
>
> Lol hey Redmonsoft why not just RTM by this weekend. What the hell.
>
> CH
>
>
>
> "Intel Inside" <REMOVETHISBIT@com> wrote in message
> news:e1oZRBPwGHA.3392@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> "Microsoft has placed build 5520 into escrow as the RC1 of Vista"
>>
>> Considering definition of escrow is "a piece of property held in trust by
>> a third party to be turned over to the grantee only upon fulfillment of a
>> condition", it makes me wonder why the word escrow is even used.
>> The agreeement is normally between the 1st and 2nd parties, presumably MS
>> and the public. (In this case the 3rd party would be the Beta testers).
>> So this begs the question, what is the 'condition' b/w MS and the
>> public?, and if it was 'fulfilled' what would the beta testers turn
>> over?.
>>
>> See my logic?. 'Escrow' appears to be a poor word choice.
>>
>>
>> "MICHAEL" <u158627_emr@dslr.net> wrote in message
>> news:OwuVagIwGHA.3964@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...182/93182.html
>>>
>>> According to sources at Microsoft, the company plans to ship Windows
>>> Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) in early September. More important,
>>> perhaps, is that Microsoft still plans to release Vista to manufacturing
>>> by the end of October as previously planned, defying rumors that the
>>> company would delay Vista yet again.
>>> Although I'm not at liberty to divulge the full contents of the message,
>>> Microsoft has placed build 5520 into escrow as the RC1 of Vista. This
>>> build will be released to testers and the public after the Labor Day
>>> holiday in the United States, which falls this year on September 4.
>>> Currently, Microsoft expects to ship RC1 on or after September 7.
>>>
>>> Meanwhile, the release to manufacturing (RTM), or final, version of
>>> Vista is set for a September 2006 escrow and final release on or before
>>> October 25. We can expect a Longhorn Server Beta 3 release in first
>>> quarter 2007, an RC2 release in second quarter 2007, and the final
>>> release in the second half of 2007.
>>>
>>> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...181/93181.html
>>>
>>> OneStat: Windows Continues to Dominate
>>> Microsoft's next-generation OS, Windows Vista, continues to be horribly
>>> late, but that hasn't stopped the current version, Windows XP, from
>>> dominating the OS market. Web analytics company OneStat.com says that XP
>>> is responsible for almost 87 percent of all Web usage, while all Windows
>>> versions combined account for 97 percent of Web usage.
>>>
>>>
>>> "Microsoft's Windows dominates the operating system market with a global
>>> usage share of 96.97 percent," OneStat.com reports. "The leading
>>> operating system on the Web is Microsoft's Windows XP with a global
>>> usage share of 86.80 percent. Microsoft's Windows 2000 has a global
>>> usage share of 6.09 percent and is the second most popular OS on the
>>> Web."
>>>
>>>
>>> You read that right. Windows 2000 is the second most often used OS on
>>> the Web, with almost three times the usage share of all Macintosh
>>> versions combined. During an event keynote last week, Apple CEO Steve
>>> Jobs was quick to point out that Mac OS X was "gaining market share,"
>>> but Apple has made only concrete gains in very specific markets, such as
>>> "retail sales of notebook computers in the US." In reality, Mac OS X
>>> usage is still below 2.5 percent worldwide. Even the 8-year-old Windows
>>> 98, with 2.68 percent of the market, accounts for more users than OS X
>>> does.
>>>
>>>
>>> Many had expected Apple's recent successes with the dominant iPod MP3
>>> player and the move to Macs that use Intel chips to increase the
>>> company's share of the OS market. That hasn't happened yet, although it
>>> still could: With Vista not scheduled for general availability until
>>> early 2007, Apple has an opening during which it can sell Mac OS X
>>> systems to Windows converts while pushing its next-generation OS,
>>> code-named Leopard.
>>>
>>>
>>> According to OneStat.com, the following are the most frequently used OSs
>>> on the Web in the world:
>>>
>>>
>>> 1. Windows XP - 86.80 percent
>>> 2. Windows 2000 - 6.09 percent
>>> 3. Windows 98 - 2.68 percent
>>> 4. Macintosh/ Macintosh Power PC - 2.47 percent
>>> 5. Windows Me - 1.09 percent
>>> 6. Linux - 0.36 percent
>>> 7. Windows NT - 0.24 percent
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Michael
>>> ______
>>> "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools,
>>> but that the lightning ain't distributed right."
>>> - Mark Twain
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

I signed up to be a beta tester last year. My thoughts were if I can help
make a better version of a Windows product, than it is worth being a beta
tester. I don't go and find bugs. Although I must admit it is quite
interesting to see what happens when you install QuickTime and RealPlayer,
just as an example. By the way, QuickTime hates Vista Beta 2 (go figure); I
hate QuickTime so the feelings mutual. ;-)

I am very happy with Vista Beta 5384. It does have a few issues; it's a beta
that's expected. If this is the way Msft is heading (ie beta testing), I'm
all for it. I truly look forward to the October release.
--
Yours truly,

A Helping Hand


"MICHAEL" wrote:

> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...182/93182.html
>
> According to sources at Microsoft, the company plans to ship Windows Vista Release Candidate 1
> (RC1) in early September. More important, perhaps, is that Microsoft still plans to release
> Vista to manufacturing by the end of October as previously planned, defying rumors that the
> company would delay Vista yet again.
> Although I'm not at liberty to divulge the full contents of the message, Microsoft has placed
> build 5520 into escrow as the RC1 of Vista. This build will be released to testers and the
> public after the Labor Day holiday in the United States, which falls this year on September 4.
> Currently, Microsoft expects to ship RC1 on or after September 7.
>
> Meanwhile, the release to manufacturing (RTM), or final, version of Vista is set for a
> September 2006 escrow and final release on or before October 25. We can expect a Longhorn
> Server Beta 3 release in first quarter 2007, an RC2 release in second quarter 2007, and the
> final release in the second half of 2007.
>
> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...181/93181.html
>
> OneStat: Windows Continues to Dominate
> Microsoft's next-generation OS, Windows Vista, continues to be horribly late, but that hasn't
> stopped the current version, Windows XP, from dominating the OS market. Web analytics company
> OneStat.com says that XP is responsible for almost 87 percent of all Web usage, while all
> Windows versions combined account for 97 percent of Web usage.
>
>
> "Microsoft's Windows dominates the operating system market with a global usage share of 96.97
> percent," OneStat.com reports. "The leading operating system on the Web is Microsoft's Windows
> XP with a global usage share of 86.80 percent. Microsoft's Windows 2000 has a global usage
> share of 6.09 percent and is the second most popular OS on the Web."
>
>
> You read that right. Windows 2000 is the second most often used OS on the Web, with almost
> three times the usage share of all Macintosh versions combined. During an event keynote last
> week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was quick to point out that Mac OS X was "gaining market share," but
> Apple has made only concrete gains in very specific markets, such as "retail sales of notebook
> computers in the US." In reality, Mac OS X usage is still below 2.5 percent worldwide. Even the
> 8-year-old Windows 98, with 2.68 percent of the market, accounts for more users than OS X does.
>
>
> Many had expected Apple's recent successes with the dominant iPod MP3 player and the move to
> Macs that use Intel chips to increase the company's share of the OS market. That hasn't
> happened yet, although it still could: With Vista not scheduled for general availability until
> early 2007, Apple has an opening during which it can sell Mac OS X systems to Windows converts
> while pushing its next-generation OS, code-named Leopard.
>
>
> According to OneStat.com, the following are the most frequently used OSs on the Web in the
> world:
>
>
> 1. Windows XP - 86.80 percent
> 2. Windows 2000 - 6.09 percent
> 3. Windows 98 - 2.68 percent
> 4. Macintosh/ Macintosh Power PC - 2.47 percent
> 5. Windows Me - 1.09 percent
> 6. Linux - 0.36 percent
> 7. Windows NT - 0.24 percent
>
>
>
> --
> Michael
> ______
> "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools,
> but that the lightning ain't distributed right."
> - Mark Twain
>
>
>

> Server is an enormous project.

Exactly. An unreliable server OS has a much greater impact than an
unreliable consumer OS, even though popular perception might indicate
otherwise.

Sorry I had to re-read your original post.

I think the 3rd party in this case is the source code server, not the beta
testers.

- JB

Vista Support FAQ
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/

According to this old article on Windows 2000 (
http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/99...idg/index.html ),
"escrow" means:

""There will be no more changes in the code." An escrow build, according to
Microsoft sources, means code development is ceased as developers and beta
testers hunt for recall class bugs. The escrow code is considered the
release to manufacturing code."

In this case it would mean that build 5530 will be RC1 unless there are any
particularly horrible bugs uncovered that would preclude shipping RC1.


"Intel Inside" <REMOVETHISBIT@com> wrote in message
news:e1oZRBPwGHA.3392@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> "Microsoft has placed build 5520 into escrow as the RC1 of Vista"
>
> Considering definition of escrow is "a piece of property held in trust by
> a third party to be turned over to the grantee only upon fulfillment of a
> condition", it makes me wonder why the word escrow is even used.
> The agreeement is normally between the 1st and 2nd parties, presumably MS
> and the public. (In this case the 3rd party would be the Beta testers).
> So this begs the question, what is the 'condition' b/w MS and the public?,
> and if it was 'fulfilled' what would the beta testers turn over?.
>
> See my logic?. 'Escrow' appears to be a poor word choice.
>
>
> "MICHAEL" <u158627_emr@dslr.net> wrote in message
> news:OwuVagIwGHA.3964@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...182/93182.html
>>
>> According to sources at Microsoft, the company plans to ship Windows
>> Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) in early September. More important,
>> perhaps, is that Microsoft still plans to release Vista to manufacturing
>> by the end of October as previously planned, defying rumors that the
>> company would delay Vista yet again.
>> Although I'm not at liberty to divulge the full contents of the message,
>> Microsoft has placed build 5520 into escrow as the RC1 of Vista. This
>> build will be released to testers and the public after the Labor Day
>> holiday in the United States, which falls this year on September 4.
>> Currently, Microsoft expects to ship RC1 on or after September 7.
>>
>> Meanwhile, the release to manufacturing (RTM), or final, version of Vista
>> is set for a September 2006 escrow and final release on or before October
>> 25. We can expect a Longhorn Server Beta 3 release in first quarter 2007,
>> an RC2 release in second quarter 2007, and the final release in the
>> second half of 2007.
>>
>> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...181/93181.html
>>
>> OneStat: Windows Continues to Dominate
>> Microsoft's next-generation OS, Windows Vista, continues to be horribly
>> late, but that hasn't stopped the current version, Windows XP, from
>> dominating the OS market. Web analytics company OneStat.com says that XP
>> is responsible for almost 87 percent of all Web usage, while all Windows
>> versions combined account for 97 percent of Web usage.
>>
>>
>> "Microsoft's Windows dominates the operating system market with a global
>> usage share of 96.97 percent," OneStat.com reports. "The leading
>> operating system on the Web is Microsoft's Windows XP with a global usage
>> share of 86.80 percent. Microsoft's Windows 2000 has a global usage share
>> of 6.09 percent and is the second most popular OS on the Web."
>>
>>
>> You read that right. Windows 2000 is the second most often used OS on the
>> Web, with almost three times the usage share of all Macintosh versions
>> combined. During an event keynote last week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was
>> quick to point out that Mac OS X was "gaining market share," but Apple
>> has made only concrete gains in very specific markets, such as "retail
>> sales of notebook computers in the US." In reality, Mac OS X usage is
>> still below 2.5 percent worldwide. Even the 8-year-old Windows 98, with
>> 2.68 percent of the market, accounts for more users than OS X does.
>>
>>
>> Many had expected Apple's recent successes with the dominant iPod MP3
>> player and the move to Macs that use Intel chips to increase the
>> company's share of the OS market. That hasn't happened yet, although it
>> still could: With Vista not scheduled for general availability until
>> early 2007, Apple has an opening during which it can sell Mac OS X
>> systems to Windows converts while pushing its next-generation OS,
>> code-named Leopard.
>>
>>
>> According to OneStat.com, the following are the most frequently used OSs
>> on the Web in the world:
>>
>>
>> 1. Windows XP - 86.80 percent
>> 2. Windows 2000 - 6.09 percent
>> 3. Windows 98 - 2.68 percent
>> 4. Macintosh/ Macintosh Power PC - 2.47 percent
>> 5. Windows Me - 1.09 percent
>> 6. Linux - 0.36 percent
>> 7. Windows NT - 0.24 percent
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Michael
>> ______
>> "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools,
>> but that the lightning ain't distributed right."
>> - Mark Twain
>>
>>
>
>

Good catch, Chris.

Also, if you enter "Microsoft escrow build" into Google
you find many references to the term.

Escrow is used in the third paragraph- obviously, the term is
used often within Microsoft.
http://blogs.msdn.com/mwcc/archive/2...13/282301.aspx

Deploying Pre-release Products Internally at Microsoft
One of the fun aspects of my job is the opportunity to manage the team that partners with MSIT
(Microsoft's IT department) to deploy Microsoft products internally prior to release. I say fun
because of the fast-paced challenge pre-release deployment presents. Several weeks prior to
releasing a milestone build, whether a Beta (feature complete milestone), Release Candidate
(milestone built for testing to validate readiness and quality for release to manufacturing),
or a product that is complete and ready for manufacturing, we prepare a build for internal
deployment to validate the quality. Once the build gets into the hands of our engineers at
MSIT, they start building deployment images, and testing their configurations.
Then, we begin a ramped server operating system deployment by putting the build on 2 or 3
machines in a domain called Windeploy. Most of the Windows division has their user accounts in
the Windeploy forest. We do this so that if a problem occurs, people are really motivated to
get it fixed since it impacts their ability to do work and access the tools required to do
their jobs. We have found that the development team responds quickly in this scenario --
nothing like feeling your own pain.

After the initial server deployments, we wait for 24 to 48 hours and then start deployment
servers more rapidly. At the end of 10 days, we will have up to 180 to 190 servers running the
pre-release (or escrow) build. Sometimes the deployment goes completely smooth and other times,
we hit hiccups that cause us to stop and take fixes. When we hit the hiccups, all hands come on
deck to keep the service running and to solve the problems as quickly as possible.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/com...2_tn_bmug.mspx

Bill_MSFT (Expert):

Q: Yeah! Will VS 2005 Beta 2 work on Longhorn Beta 1 as well as on the R2 Escrow build or we'll
get the CTP?

A: We think it should but we do not have a VS expert with us to confirm.


"Chris Altmann" <avalid@emailaddress.zoo> wrote in message
news:efRQF8XwGHA.724@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> According to this old article on Windows 2000 (
> http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/99...idg/index.html ), "escrow" means:
>
> ""There will be no more changes in the code." An escrow build, according to Microsoft
> sources, means code development is ceased as developers and beta testers hunt for recall
> class bugs. The escrow code is considered the release to manufacturing code."
>
> In this case it would mean that build 5530 will be RC1 unless there are any particularly
> horrible bugs uncovered that would preclude shipping RC1.
>
>
> "Intel Inside" <REMOVETHISBIT@com> wrote in message
> news:e1oZRBPwGHA.3392@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> "Microsoft has placed build 5520 into escrow as the RC1 of Vista"
>>
>> Considering definition of escrow is "a piece of property held in trust by a third party to
>> be turned over to the grantee only upon fulfillment of a condition", it makes me wonder why
>> the word escrow is even used.
>> The agreeement is normally between the 1st and 2nd parties, presumably MS and the public.
>> (In this case the 3rd party would be the Beta testers).
>> So this begs the question, what is the 'condition' b/w MS and the public?, and if it was
>> 'fulfilled' what would the beta testers turn over?.
>>
>> See my logic?. 'Escrow' appears to be a poor word choice.
>>
>>
>> "MICHAEL" <u158627_emr@dslr.net> wrote in message
>> news:OwuVagIwGHA.3964@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...182/93182.html
>>>
>>> According to sources at Microsoft, the company plans to ship Windows Vista Release
>>> Candidate 1 (RC1) in early September. More important, perhaps, is that Microsoft still
>>> plans to release Vista to manufacturing by the end of October as previously planned,
>>> defying rumors that the company would delay Vista yet again.
>>> Although I'm not at liberty to divulge the full contents of the message, Microsoft has
>>> placed build 5520 into escrow as the RC1 of Vista. This build will be released to testers
>>> and the public after the Labor Day holiday in the United States, which falls this year on
>>> September 4. Currently, Microsoft expects to ship RC1 on or after September 7.
>>>
>>> Meanwhile, the release to manufacturing (RTM), or final, version of Vista is set for a
>>> September 2006 escrow and final release on or before October 25. We can expect a Longhorn
>>> Server Beta 3 release in first quarter 2007, an RC2 release in second quarter 2007, and the
>>> final release in the second half of 2007.
>>>
>>> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...181/93181.html
>>>
>>> OneStat: Windows Continues to Dominate
>>> Microsoft's next-generation OS, Windows Vista, continues to be horribly late, but that
>>> hasn't stopped the current version, Windows XP, from dominating the OS market. Web
>>> analytics company OneStat.com says that XP is responsible for almost 87 percent of all Web
>>> usage, while all Windows versions combined account for 97 percent of Web usage.
>>>
>>>
>>> "Microsoft's Windows dominates the operating system market with a global usage share of
>>> 96.97 percent," OneStat.com reports. "The leading operating system on the Web is
>>> Microsoft's Windows XP with a global usage share of 86.80 percent. Microsoft's Windows 2000
>>> has a global usage share of 6.09 percent and is the second most popular OS on the Web."
>>>
>>>
>>> You read that right. Windows 2000 is the second most often used OS on the Web, with almost
>>> three times the usage share of all Macintosh versions combined. During an event keynote
>>> last week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was quick to point out that Mac OS X was "gaining market
>>> share," but Apple has made only concrete gains in very specific markets, such as "retail
>>> sales of notebook computers in the US." In reality, Mac OS X usage is still below 2.5
>>> percent worldwide. Even the 8-year-old Windows 98, with 2.68 percent of the market,
>>> accounts for more users than OS X does.
>>>
>>>
>>> Many had expected Apple's recent successes with the dominant iPod MP3 player and the move
>>> to Macs that use Intel chips to increase the company's share of the OS market. That hasn't
>>> happened yet, although it still could: With Vista not scheduled for general availability
>>> until early 2007, Apple has an opening during which it can sell Mac OS X systems to Windows
>>> converts while pushing its next-generation OS, code-named Leopard.
>>>
>>>
>>> According to OneStat.com, the following are the most frequently used OSs on the Web in the
>>> world:
>>>
>>>
>>> 1. Windows XP - 86.80 percent
>>> 2. Windows 2000 - 6.09 percent
>>> 3. Windows 98 - 2.68 percent
>>> 4. Macintosh/ Macintosh Power PC - 2.47 percent
>>> 5. Windows Me - 1.09 percent
>>> 6. Linux - 0.36 percent
>>> 7. Windows NT - 0.24 percent
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Michael
>>> ______
>>> "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools,
>>> but that the lightning ain't distributed right."
>>> - Mark Twain
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

What it would mean is if they stubbornly hold to that time table, I'll be
able to make a list of badly broken major parts of RC1 that you'd have to be
blind deaf and dumb not to run into. If you can't fix Windows File
Protection, you don't ship. If you can't make Win RE work more than less
than 50% of the time, you don't ship. Vista in that incarnation to push to
RTM will get schreded by their own major book authors on Vista, and sales
will suffer in the one place that MSFT has shown they care with respect to
any of their cash cows--the money.

CH


"Chris Altmann" <avalid@emailaddress.zoo> wrote in message
news:efRQF8XwGHA.724@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> According to this old article on Windows 2000 (
> http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/99...idg/index.html ),
> "escrow" means:
>
> ""There will be no more changes in the code." An escrow build, according
> to Microsoft sources, means code development is ceased as developers and
> beta testers hunt for recall class bugs. The escrow code is considered the
> release to manufacturing code."
>
> In this case it would mean that build 5530 will be RC1 unless there are
> any particularly horrible bugs uncovered that would preclude shipping RC1.
>
>
> "Intel Inside" <REMOVETHISBIT@com> wrote in message
> news:e1oZRBPwGHA.3392@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> "Microsoft has placed build 5520 into escrow as the RC1 of Vista"
>>
>> Considering definition of escrow is "a piece of property held in trust by
>> a third party to be turned over to the grantee only upon fulfillment of a
>> condition", it makes me wonder why the word escrow is even used.
>> The agreeement is normally between the 1st and 2nd parties, presumably MS
>> and the public. (In this case the 3rd party would be the Beta testers).
>> So this begs the question, what is the 'condition' b/w MS and the
>> public?, and if it was 'fulfilled' what would the beta testers turn
>> over?.
>>
>> See my logic?. 'Escrow' appears to be a poor word choice.
>>
>>
>> "MICHAEL" <u158627_emr@dslr.net> wrote in message
>> news:OwuVagIwGHA.3964@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...182/93182.html
>>>
>>> According to sources at Microsoft, the company plans to ship Windows
>>> Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) in early September. More important,
>>> perhaps, is that Microsoft still plans to release Vista to manufacturing
>>> by the end of October as previously planned, defying rumors that the
>>> company would delay Vista yet again.
>>> Although I'm not at liberty to divulge the full contents of the message,
>>> Microsoft has placed build 5520 into escrow as the RC1 of Vista. This
>>> build will be released to testers and the public after the Labor Day
>>> holiday in the United States, which falls this year on September 4.
>>> Currently, Microsoft expects to ship RC1 on or after September 7.
>>>
>>> Meanwhile, the release to manufacturing (RTM), or final, version of
>>> Vista is set for a September 2006 escrow and final release on or before
>>> October 25. We can expect a Longhorn Server Beta 3 release in first
>>> quarter 2007, an RC2 release in second quarter 2007, and the final
>>> release in the second half of 2007.
>>>
>>> http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...181/93181.html
>>>
>>> OneStat: Windows Continues to Dominate
>>> Microsoft's next-generation OS, Windows Vista, continues to be horribly
>>> late, but that hasn't stopped the current version, Windows XP, from
>>> dominating the OS market. Web analytics company OneStat.com says that XP
>>> is responsible for almost 87 percent of all Web usage, while all Windows
>>> versions combined account for 97 percent of Web usage.
>>>
>>>
>>> "Microsoft's Windows dominates the operating system market with a global
>>> usage share of 96.97 percent," OneStat.com reports. "The leading
>>> operating system on the Web is Microsoft's Windows XP with a global
>>> usage share of 86.80 percent. Microsoft's Windows 2000 has a global
>>> usage share of 6.09 percent and is the second most popular OS on the
>>> Web."
>>>
>>>
>>> You read that right. Windows 2000 is the second most often used OS on
>>> the Web, with almost three times the usage share of all Macintosh
>>> versions combined. During an event keynote last week, Apple CEO Steve
>>> Jobs was quick to point out that Mac OS X was "gaining market share,"
>>> but Apple has made only concrete gains in very specific markets, such as
>>> "retail sales of notebook computers in the US." In reality, Mac OS X
>>> usage is still below 2.5 percent worldwide. Even the 8-year-old Windows
>>> 98, with 2.68 percent of the market, accounts for more users than OS X
>>> does.
>>>
>>>
>>> Many had expected Apple's recent successes with the dominant iPod MP3
>>> player and the move to Macs that use Intel chips to increase the
>>> company's share of the OS market. That hasn't happened yet, although it
>>> still could: With Vista not scheduled for general availability until
>>> early 2007, Apple has an opening during which it can sell Mac OS X
>>> systems to Windows converts while pushing its next-generation OS,
>>> code-named Leopard.
>>>
>>>
>>> According to OneStat.com, the following are the most frequently used OSs
>>> on the Web in the world:
>>>
>>>
>>> 1. Windows XP - 86.80 percent
>>> 2. Windows 2000 - 6.09 percent
>>> 3. Windows 98 - 2.68 percent
>>> 4. Macintosh/ Macintosh Power PC - 2.47 percent
>>> 5. Windows Me - 1.09 percent
>>> 6. Linux - 0.36 percent
>>> 7. Windows NT - 0.24 percent
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Michael
>>> ______
>>> "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools,
>>> but that the lightning ain't distributed right."
>>> - Mark Twain
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>