Windows XP SP3 RC1 Available for Download

We are all well aware that Windows Vista has a service pack right around the corner, but so does Windows XP. Although Service Pack 3 has been in beta testing for a while, the RC1 has been released today… albeit unofficially. RCs normally denote a final product, but one that’s still in the final testing stages before a commit to final launch. This RC1 is likely to be no different from the final release.

Because this is still considered pre-release software, no official release notes have been made. However, a page is sitting around, waiting to be updated when the time is right. What SP3 brings to the table is beyond me, but I believe it’s more of a bug-fixer than anything, so there is no need to run out and install it unless you want to stay cutting-edge. I upgraded to SP3 without a single issue, but I can’t guarantee all experiences will be the same.

Microsoft hasn’t announced a final release date for SP3, but a January/February might be possible. It all depends now on whether or not any showstopping bugs arise, or whether or not the documentation preparation is lagging. There is also an Office 2007 SP1 released as well, both of which BetaNews is hosting for your perusal.

Early beta testing of XP SP3 revealed new security hardening features were put in place, and at least one group of researchers claims Windows Vista SP1 lags behind XP SP3 in tests involving Microsoft Office workloads. Those tests may not have been deployed using O2K7 SP1. Today’s XP service pack download is a release candidate — past the beta stage, but not yet ready to be declared a formal release for production systems.

Source: BetaNews