SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it has completed work on its long-delayed Windows Vista operating system and plans to release it to consumers January 30.
The announcement means Microsoft is on track to meet its revised release schedule.
Jim Allchin, co-president of the Microsoft division that includes Windows, said in a conference call that Windows Vista's code was released to begin manufacturing copies early Wednesday.
"This is a good day," Allchin said.
Microsoft had previously said it would release Vista to big business clients at an event at the Nasdaq Stock Market on November 30, and make it available to consumers sometime in January.
The release will be the first major upgrade in more than five years to the operating system that powers most of the world's personal computers. Vista boasts improved graphics, more effective tools for finding documents, pictures and other items on personal computers, and a new Internet browser, among other changes.
The system has been plagued by a series of delays, the most recent of which was blamed in part on efforts to improve security.
In its quest to get Vista out the door, Redmond-based Microsoft also has had to scale back some of its original goals, including scrapping a more sophisticated method for sorting and organizing data. Analysts have said that scaling back the system could hurt the company if people don't see enough of a reason to upgrade.
The most recent delays also forced Microsoft to miss the holiday season, potentially dealing a blow to computer makers and retailers who may have been hoping for the new system to boost gift sales.
Microsoft and computer manufacturers are offering holiday shoppers coupons good for a free or discounted Vista upgrade.
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Even though Microsoft said it's finished, I'd not touch it with a 10 foot pole. I tested out the RC2 version that was released only 1.5 months ago and it was hellish because even the most common programs weren't able to run.
If you have the itch to switch to this new OS, I'd wait atleast 6 months to a year after release so they can work the bugs out. It will also give time for both hardware and software developers to catch up.
Microsoft: Windows Vista is done
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eefanincan
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Agree with Janbo.... some good advice, Irish. I'm no software wizard by any means, but it seems to me that anytime Microsoft releases a new version of windows, there seems to be this initial onslaught of errors and everyone ends up complaining. Although I'm sure you could argue this point for any software.