rumor, RC2 build 5743 Friday

New rumor,
Microsoft this Friday will ship the final pre-release version of Windows
Vista and,
unexpectedly, will name the release as Release Candidate 2 (RC2).
Previously, Microsoft
had publicly asserted that it would not ship an RC2 milestone release of
Windows Vista.
But don't let the name fool you: RC2 is really just a standard interim build
of Vista and
will not be given out to millions of users as was RC1.

The RC2 build is 5743, and Microsoft is currently testing it internally. As
with the previous
interim build, 5728, RC2 will be given out to beta testers, MSDN and TechNet
subscribers, and
a random, limited selection of Consumer Preview Program (CPP) members.

While Microsoft wouldn't confirm the specifics of the release, the company
did corroborate that
it was planning an upcoming interim Vista build. "As we have previously
discussed, Microsoft
does plan to deliver one more interim build of Windows Vista before
releasing the final product,
" a Microsoft spokesperson told me. "The exact name of the build, and the
date of its release,
have not been announced."

This is the last build Microsoft will be making available to the public
prior to RTM, or
"release to manufacturing." That date--which was previously referred to as
"on or before
October 25"--has been adjusted slightly. Now, the Vista "launch window"
begins October 18,
when Microsoft will begin testing the final planned build for RTM. But
Microsoft doesn't
expect to finalize the product until sometime between October 25 and
November 8.