I know. Vista was released to manufacturing on 8 November 2006. It was officially launched to businesses on 30 November. Why am I asking if it will be done? Isn’t it already done?

Well, in a word, no. In past postings, we talked about the importance of Microsoft Update (MU) to Vista’s launch. The reality is that Microsoft could not have shipped Vista in November if real people were going to be using it en masse for real things right away. With consumers not getting Windows Vista until 30 January 2007, and most businesses just "kicking its tires' (if that) over the holidays, Microsoft and the Windows ecosystem have an 11-week extension between RTM and actual use. That Microsoft and the ecosystem are ready for the 30 January consumer availability is much more important than that they made their 2006 RTM goal.

What kinds of things aren't ready? Mostly drivers. Microsoft is including more than 19,000 "in the box", but expects to have another 12,000 available via Microsoft Update. Some of the drivers available so far are still considered beta, are somewhat unstable or do not support the full feature set of the devices. And Microsoft's own Application Compatibility Toolkit (unimportant for consumers, but very important for enterprises) and Windows Mobile Device Center (important for enterprises and consumers) are also still in beta.

Microsoft and the ecosystem need to be ready for the 30 January consumer launch. People want a stable system with devices they can use. Coupled with the security issues that have already surfaced, Microsoft and the ecosystem need to provide complete and stable driver support by launch, or Windows Vista will have a difficult time overcoming some troublesome first impressions.