Windows 7 Service Pack 1 beta now available
By James • Jul 13th, 2010 • Category: Industry News, software
- Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 SP 1 is now available in public beta form, bringing minor updates to consumer PCs, but representing a major operating system stepping stone for enterprise users.
It’s all about the cloud
Accompanying Windows SP 1 is the update to Windows Server 2008R2. Herein is where the bulk of the effort was put in for the service pack. A few months ago, when Microsoft first indicated they planned July as the release window for this service pack, the company said, ‘The new virtualisation tools in SP1 will help Windows Server 2008 R2 users prepare for cloud computing, Remote FX provides rich 3D graphical experience for remote users, and Dynamic Memory enables more control to adjust memory usage without sacrificing performance.’ In effect, Microsoft was reaffirming its widely stated commitment to the cloud, where the company is said to be ‘all in’.
Minor updates for Windows 7 users
For Windows 7 users, the updates are quite minor, with the bulk of the fixes included in the service pack having previously been released in Windows updates. With a large portion of Microsoft’s user base now being web-connected, the need to wait lengthy periods for service packs like Windows 7 SP1 has been negated. Where these software packages matter most is for enterprises and retailers.
Upgrade already
For those stragglers still hanging onto Windows XP after having been burnt by Windows Vista, we can safely say it is now time to move on. Windows 7 is the very best Windows OS Microsoft has released in ages, adding stability Vista never had while removing Vista’s constant hyper-paranoid security prompts. And consumer response has shown that Microsoft has hit a home run with the OS, selling seven copies per second since release to top the 150 million sold mark.
That’s something to certainly brag about, and brag Microsoft does. Windows 7 SP1 is available today in beta form from Microsoft’s download center.
Tags for this article: cloud computing, windows 7, Windows OS
