You better tell Paul Thurrott to watch what he says.
http://www.winsupersite.com/faq/vista_sp1.asp
Q: What features will Vista SP1 include?
A: The following features will be included in Windows Vista Service Pack 1:
1. A collection of previously-released and new security fixes, bug fixes, and other minor updates.
2. An update to the Windows kernel to bring the Vista kernel (version 6.0) up to date with the
version in Windows Server 2008 (version 6.1).
3. A change to the Kernel Patch Protection ("PatchGuard") feature in the Vista kernel that
prevents security companies like McAfee and Symantec from integrating as tightly with the OS as
they could in previous Windows versions. This will include a set of APIs aimed at helping
developers write code that interacts with this security feature.
4. A change to Vista's Instant Search feature that will allow third party desktop search
product makers to more closely integrate their products with Windows Vista. In the initial
shipping version of Vista, the Instant Search indexer still runs at full speed even if a third
party product is installed, reducing overall system performance.
And folks, that's about it. For a more complete rundown of SP1's features, please read my
showcase, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Revealed.
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_sp1.asp
Inside Windows Vista Service Pack 1
About the co-development of Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008
One thing that may be shocking to some about Vista Service Pack 1 is that it is being developed
alongside Windows Server 2008. (I did report this over a year ago, but it remained a source of
much confusion over the intervening months because of the company's public silence about this
topic.) "Windows Server 2008 and Vista SP1 are aligned," Zipkin confirmed. "They are a common
engineering project, two separate products that share the same kernel and code base."
The kernel issue is a related source of information: I also reported well before Vista shipped
that Vista SP1 would include a "new kernel that will bring the Vista kernel up to date with the
improvements in Windows Server 2008." This is absolutely true, I was told, though Microsoft is
very nervous about any misconceptions this statement may carry, so I'd like take this
opportunity to, hopefully, clear this issue up once and for all.
My explanation goes as follows: Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 are being developed together
and share the same kernel. This kernel is newer than the version that shipped in Windows Vista,
so it is a "new" kernel version that includes some significant updates. That said, new kernel
versions are often used by Microsoft to denote new product versions, and in this case, Vista is
still Vista. More important perhaps, this new kernel won't institute a round of compatibility
issues, as is generally the case when a new kernel (and thus, typically, a major new Windows
version) is introduced.
Microsoft's explanation is more nuanced, and Gray and Zipkin were quick to draw a distinction
between a "new" kernel and a kernel that, in their minds, is simply evolved over previous
versions. Fair enough: I certainly agree that the overriding concern here should be that
whatever changes are occurring in the Vista kernel won't require enterprises or other
businesses to hold off on Vista testing, as Vista SP1 won't do anything to break compatibility.
"Kernel code isn't just the kernel," Gray said. "All of the things that make up the lowest
level of the OS can be considered part of the kernel, even the shell. Focusing on the kernel as
a differentiator [between Vista SP1 and RTM] doesn't do justice to issues that are more
important to customers, like compatibility and the device driver model, neither of which are
changing. We have extended and expanded major portions of the kernel since NT 3.1. It's still
based on the same code, but it's evolved over time. We added Plug N Play support and various
other capabilities over time. The memory management we have now is far superior to what we had
five years ago."
"Vista has an enhanced kernel over what appeared in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003," he
continued. "They all introduced new breaking changes. But up until Vista was finalized, Vista
and Windows Server 2008 shared the same code base. Yes, it's correct to say that Windows Server
2008 has the new kernel. But it's the Vista kernel now too, because it's in Vista SP1. It's an
evolutionary change. Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 share the same kernel code. They are
evolving together."
They're also being released together. And going forward, the co-development of Windows Vista
and Windows Server 2008 (or more accurately, the client and server versions of Windows) will
continue. Microsoft will ship an SP2 release concurrently for Vista and Windows Server 2008,
and while that package of updates will be the second service pack for Vista, it will be the
first for Windows Server 2008.
* (e-mail address removed):