A recent email memo leaked to APC Magazine revealed that Microsoft is already hard at work on Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Microsoft sent out emails to customers and partners to test and provide feedback on (SP1) to help prepare for it's release in the second half of 2007. In comparison, it took 11 months after the release of Windows XP for Microsoft to rollout the first service pack.

Specific details of the changes (codenamed "Fiji") have not been released by Microsoft yet. Microsoft claims that regressions from Windows Vista and Windows XP (specifically: security, deployment blockers and other high impact issues) are the primary focus for the service pack. The operating system hasn't been released to the general public yet, but it has "high impact issues."

Testers that are enrolled in the Vista SP1 Technology Adoption Program (TAP) and must be willing to provide feedback and deploy pre-release builds into production environments.

According to the email, one of the goals for TAP testers will be to validate the stability of Windows Vista SP1 through production deployments.

"It's important that customers deploy the Service Pack into production environments within 30 days of a milestone release. Issues will surface from the deployments as well as throughout the program as end users test its limits through out their day-to-day activities. The Windows TAP team will work with customers to identify and drive these issues."

In the meantime, critical fixes for Vista will be available through Windows Update. Are you ready for Windows Vista?

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