Looks like Google will have to wait at least until 2008, and possibly longer, before it gets search satisfaction from Microsoft on Windows Vista.

Microsoft has said it plans nothing more than a beta for its first Windows Vista Services Pack (SP1) for the rest of 2007, and is not giving dates on a final release date.

Mystery now surrounds the fate of SP1. Some reports have pegged the release of this important first security and feature patch at some time in 2009, an uncharacteristically long time for any SP in the lifespan of a Windows operating system.

Others, meanwhile, are suggesting Microsoft is doing away with the SP format for something more modular. These suggestions were given credence as Microsoft this week released a batch of updates in the form of the Vista performance and reliability and the Vista compatibility and reliability pack.

A Microsoft spokesperson would not comment on detailed release plans, but told The Register: "There will be a Windows Vista service pack... service packs are part of the traditional software lifecycle." ®

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