News

Seattle Times: Vista To ‘RTM' Oct. 25

In the countdown to Vista's release, there have been no reports of dumpster diving by enterprising reporters, but the largest circulation Seattle paper says it has seen a sign that points to the end of testing on Oct. 25th.

The Seattle Times is reporting today that yesterday a scrolling electronic reader sign in Building 9 on Microsoft's sprawling Redmond campus read, "9 Days Until Vista RTM!!!"

“RTM” is short for “Release to Manufacturing.” In Microsoft lingo, that's the last step before the final golden code is delivered into customers' hands. Microsoft has historically been highly secretive of release dates, especially for Windows, but this time around keeping secrets has been haphazard at best.

The company just released “Release Candidate 2” (RC2) earlier this month. Release candidates, or RCs, are the final beta test copies that Microsoft sends out before finalizing the code for RTM.

The Seattle Times' story also speculates that Microsoft might launch Vista when Chairman Bill Gates gives his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 7.

When asked about the sign and the date Tuesday, a non-committal Microsoft statement provided the same guidance as previous questions. “We are on track for business availability in November and general availability in January, and the exact dates are determined based on product quality,” said a statement provided by a company spokesperson.  

The Seattle Times article can be found here.

About the Author

Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.

Featured

  • Report: Cost, Sustainability Drive DaaS Adoption Beyond Remote Work

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.

  • Windows 365 Reserve, Microsoft's Cloud PC Rental Service, Hits Preview

    Microsoft has launched a limited public preview of its new "Windows 365 Reserve" service, which lets organizations rent cloud PC instances in the event their Windows devices are stolen, lost or damaged.

  • Hands-On AI Skills Now Outshine Certs in Salary Stakes

    For AI-related roles, employers are prioritizing verifiable, hands-on abilities over framed certificates -- and they're paying a premium for it.

  • Roadblocks in Enterprise AI: Data and Skills Shortfalls Could Cost Millions

    Businesses risk losing up to $87 million a year if they fail to catch up with AI innovation, according to the Couchbase FY 2026 CIO AI Survey released this month.