Microsoft has sent an email to participants of RC-Escrow build SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 about its availability this Thursday. The updates would be available via Windows Update as a standalone installer in the following languages: English, Japanese, Spanish, German & French.

Microsoft said the service pack contains 656 hotfixes and is named “6002.16659.090114-1728″. The software giant is on track on releasing SP2 early this year as they have previously announced. The RC-Build is an answer to reports that Microsoft would not be able to meet its deadline and instead release the final version in June, middle of this year.

The escrow build means that Microsoft has implemented a code freeze on the software and would no longer ask for feature request from testers; instead, it would only be for reporting bugs and errors in the software.

Windows Server 2008 is enjoying great reviews with its performance, stability and spot-on features while Windows Vista is getting the opposite despite having the same codebase as that of Windows Server 2008.

TheRegister has an article hoping to see Microsoft platform and services division Mark Russinovich get his teeth into this. The article is saying that Vista should have the same codebase of Windows Server 2008 but is underperforming.

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Intel computers based on Atom chip desktop computers ranging from $199 - $250 can run Windows Vista Started Kit.

In an excerpt of the story found here.

Intel expects an Atom chip, code-named Diamondville, to be used in fanless desktop computers designed for basic tasks like surfing the Internet or viewing standard-definition DVDs. The company expects the systems to be priced in the $199 to $250 range.

The Atom chips do not have the processing power required for more intense computing tasks like viewing high-definition DVDs, said Noury Al-Khaledy, general manager of Intel’s Atom desktops, which the company called “Nettops.” An Atom desktop could serve as a second machine in developed countries or a primary desktop in developing countries, he said.

The Nettops will run either Windows Vista Starter, Windows XP or Linux, Intel said. PC makers will decide which OS they use and set the exact pricing.

Windows Vista SP1 isn’t out to everyone just yet but reports circulating says that SP1 including Windows Server 2008 can already be downloaded via Torrents.

The RTM version of Vista SP1 and Server 2008 can be found in BitTorrent tracker sites such as Pirate Bay. Searching for the term “Windows Server 2008″ shows that there are over 40 locations where the file can downloaded while Vista SP1 has over 160 locations; more than quadruple that number have downloaded part of the torrent.

Microsoft has been quiet on the issue as this isn’t the first time it happened to them. The best they did was to warn consumers that downloading from non-geniune locations is bad for the environment — much so their environment, I suppose.

Microsoft has just released their Windows Vista Service Pack beta version, and now they have released Windows Server 2008. Microsoft seems to be in a roll right now.

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