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Well... in all fairness, you do have to keep in mind that all Windows platforms are equal, but some Windows operating systems are more equal than others... And in this context, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are privileged over Windows XP. Microsoft is essentially choosing to ignore the vast majority of Windows users.

According to data from Net Applications, the install base of XP is over 75% of all the operating systems, with Vista at just over 10%. But statistics are by no means impressive to Microsoft. Throughout the development process of Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008, the Redmond company has been pushing Windows XP SP3 to the background. Even though XP SP3 was developed alongside Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008.

And yet, Microsoft revealed that... "Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) was released to manufacturing on February 4, 2008, and will start being available to customers in March, starting with Microsoft Volume Licensing customers. Windows Server 2008 was also released to manufacturing on February 4, 2008, and will be available for purchase to new customers on March 1. Microsoft Volume Licensing customers with active Microsoft Software Assurance coverage or an Enterprise Agreement will be able to download the server software toward the end of February as part of the joint Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 'Heroes Happen Here' launch event."

What happened? Did Microsoft lose Windows XP SP3 on its way to the RTM builds of Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008? In January, the company released both Vista SP1 RC Refresh 2 and XP SP3 RC Refresh 2 concomitantly. And in all fairness, Vista SP1 will be made available by the third quarter of 2008. Is Microsoft going to wait for the second half of 2008 to deliver XP SP3?