This document was written before SP1 came out, Now you should be reading (SP1 testing).
The following is the content that was completely replaced after SP1 RTM was out.
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1), What's in it.
So many of you know by now that service pack 1 for windows Vista is coming soon (Codenamed Fiji), But want to know what is coming in this service pack.
Microsoft has already dispatched a CD full of updates for windows Vista (At least with my hardware they are 647MB as of 2007-09-16), I slipstream them into my Vista DVD often but when SP1 is out, i will slipstream again with the original DVD and get rid of them because they will certainly be in the service pack.
Microsoft claims that security is there focus with this service pack (From the company always focusing on security and never achieving a satisfactory level of security on there OS)
I personally think The service pack became mandatory for many reasons.
Microsoft has had a nice share of antitrust lawsuits, not that they are innocent or anything, but they have had there share, SMB, Windows media player etc.. (My Opinion here)
So let me go through what you can expect in this service pack (Also what i think you will find)
The new Service pack will contain an attempt to avoid the antitrust case that google will be raising if Microsoft continues to deliver what google is delivering in there Desktop application (google desktop).
The way Vista works right now is by indexing your hard drive content in a way that allows a quick search algorithm to pull that data for you when you search for it, Not only does it index file names and modification date or parameters, But it also indexes the content of those files, This functionality was most popular through Google Desktop with windows XP, although they both can co-exist (google desktop and VISTA search functionality), google filed a complaint to the Justice Department over the issue, the OS was designed in a way to make it much easier to use the Vista search capabilities.
After installing Vista SP1, if you chose to install any other Desktop search application, Vista should route your search requests to that application, How it will deal with the (show results as you type in the start menu) is not yet known, but most probably windows will release an API for that (Application Programming Interface), and google will "after that" alter it's software to display the results there.
But even with this change, google is not pleased, Google wants Vista search OFF, Microsoft wants to give google (and others) a share of the pie and take the explorer window to Vista's search capability, Although Microsoft's compromise looks fair, in reality this means your computer contents are going to have to be indexed twice (I can barely live with indexed once, "Your computer's idle time does not apply to me, it is almost never idle" with all the overnight tasks i give it.
There is only room for one sidebar, Google desktop's or Vista's sidebar.... if the above, sidebar has to go too when Desktop search app installs
The Updates that are already distributed via windows update (My 648MBs to date)
Some (not enough) of the features that were promised and not delivered with the RTM DVD, i don't know which ones but if i were to guess 2 they would be, 1- *Windows Future Storage (WinFS) Some plugin for your beloved NTFS file system, and 2- PowerShell (Some shell scripting language like Bash in linux for example, or Dos stuff), but this one is .NET based.
Maybe some more security updates (I don't think they will be new since MS already dispatches security updates and they will not hold any update that has to do with security till SP1 comes out)
Some stuff to try and convince those unconvinced decision makers to switch there company's processing power to Vistas hands (Or paws), but this one is probably not going to happen, they probably have to deliver the planned ones first
I will keep you updated on whatever i can find out about this new Windows vista service pack as soon as i know more.
NOTE: You can save up to $160 dollars if you do not want tech. support from Microsoft (You will get windows updates), To see how, Visit the checklist page.
Windows Vista OEM is meant to be cheaper since there is no tech support, But also installs on 1 computer only and can not be transferred to another computer