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I called this months ago, as such I'm not surprised to hear the rumblings from Redmond confirming this outcome. The Windows product cycle has changed as has Microsoft's patch distribution model. Service pack level fixes are starting to roll out as individual patches on Windows/Microsoft Update. The Microsoft support site started allowing anyone to request corner case bug related hotfixes without having to call Microsoft, but instead simply fill out an online form resulting in the patch being e-mailed to you with a unlock code. That change to the support site happened years ago.

It's a different world and it looks like the age/concept of a service pack may be riding off into the sunset.

I kind of hope so. I'll be equally happy if there are no updates to fix the servicing stack like with 7 that make the whole process wonky from a fresh install.

I think this is also partially a sign that the OS is just a lot more stable than it used to be, and doesn't require the big hotfix rollups anymore. Having security updates bundled up was nice, but largely unnecessary with the deployment tools at our disposal nowadays.

Windows 7 was Vista SP3.

absurdity wrote:

I think this is also partially a sign that the OS is just a lot more stable than it used to be, and doesn't require the big hotfix rollups anymore. Having security updates bundled up was nice, but largely unnecessary with the deployment tools at our disposal nowadays.

I think that a pretty reasonable argument.

yogibbear wrote:

Windows 7 was Vista SP3.

So does that makes Windows 8 just Vista SP5?

Sort of a bummer.

I fix friends/family (and build pc's) for them.

So now when I do a fresh intall/format I will have to wait for it to download and install a ton of updates, and several restarts.

One very nice thing about XP was the ease at which one could slipstream service packs and updates into the ISO and avoid all that downloading and restarts.

From what I have seen with win 7, the process is quite a bit more involved.

It can be easier.

DISM can install .msu files into an offline image. You could use a Win7 SP1 install.wim as a baseline and use DISM to add each additionally released WU patch (.msu) into install.wim to always keep the image up to date.

Kind of a PITA vs having Microsoft occasionally do that for you (though the gap between SPs generally meant you either had to do that to an extent anyway, or you planned to go to lunch while the patches downloaded).