Organisations that expect to be runningWindows XPin mid-2010 should plan to
test and deploy XP SP3, Gartner has advised.
Microsoft is planning to release
Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) and
Windows XP SP3 will be available in the first half of 2008.
According to Gartner, deploying Windows XP SP3 should be
significantly easier than testing and deploying SP2, which many
users considered a major change of the operating system.
Annette Jump, a research director at Gartner, said, "We will
probably see a mixture of Vista and XP SP3 deployments in 2008.
Jump believed some businesses would deploy Vista and some could
stick with XP, in which case, they would be looking at installing
the SP3 service pack.
"Some companies who want to stay longer on XP, and will only
move when they refresh PCs - they will probably consider deploying
XP SP3."
Jump said XP SP3 mainly focuses on fixes. She warned that it
would not replicate features in Vista, "SP3 will not include
Internet Explorer 7, but will allow XP clients to participate in
Network Access Protection (NAP)."
Gartner urged users who are considering deploying Windows Vista
in 2008, to test SP1. However, Gartner recommended that IT managers
should not significantly delay Windows Vista deployment on new PCs
by waiting for SP1.
"If shifting a PC deployment a few weeks would allow deployment
of Vista SP1, do it, but do not bring in new PCs on Windows XP
instead - it will be easier to upgrade a Vista PC to SP1 than an XP
PC to Vista," Gartner advised.