Vista's been something of a flop. I know it. You know it. Even in Bill Gates' secret sanctum hidden underneath his mansion they know it. Businesses, in particular, aren't about to touch Vista for corporate desktops until they get SP1. Guess what? They're not going to be getting it anytime soon.

On Aug. 29 Microsoft finally admitted that they have been working on Vista SP1 over the summer. For some reason--perhaps they hoped people would buy an unfixed Vista?--Microsoft wouldn't fess up to getting SP1 ready even though secret beta copies of it had been floating around the Internet for several weeks.

Before Microsoft lovers start singing the praises of their corporate overlords, though they should know that they aren't going to be seeing fixes for Vista's multiple problems anytime soon.

Microsoft told Microsoft Watch top watcher Joe Wilcox that a limited release of the Vista beta will go out in a few weeks to Microsoft's friends and family. Then, maybe in 2007, it will go out to MSDN and TechNet members. After that it might be RTM (released to manufacturing) in the first quarter of 2008. Finally, sometime in 2008, you'll get a chance to upgrade to Vista SP1.

That, of course, presumes that Microsoft can hit a deadline. Let me put it this way. By the time Vista sp1 is out, Linux will have made its way.