As we warned you in April, Microsoft has again delayed Windows XP Service Pack 2, the most significant revision of the Windows code base since its launch in 2001. The work now being scheduled for completion and an RTM (release to manufacturing [alternative etymology (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/10/09/longhorn_rtm_what_it_means/)]) in August means a Fall ship date. Microsoft will be relieved to see it out of the door. SP2 was originally due "sometime in 2003 (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/08/20/windows_xp_sp2_knocked_back/)" until last August, when managers decided to knock it back to this year.

The release, which made its debut as a beta back in March (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/24/ms_bigs_up_windows_xp/), bundles major security revisions and a new Windows update procedure.

Delays to the roadmap - and remember that back in 2001, Longhorn was set to ship right about now - led to speculation that Microsoft would release an interim version of XP, dubbed "XP Reloaded". That plan now appears to have been abandoned (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/09/longhorn_overboard/). But there's no underestimating the significance of XP2, with its compatibility implications for third party ISVs and IT departments. ®

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