An Update For Windows Update
Posted by HappyAndyK on 05 July 2008 - 12:48 · 37 comments & 14058 views
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(4 replies)
#1 Posted by franzon on 05 Jul 2008 - 13:22
- "in this update, we've invested heavily in reducing the amount of time it takes the Windows Update agent to scan to see if new updates are available. In this case, we've seen some instances of the scan times on some machines decreasing almost 20 percent"
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#1.1 Posted by mrmckeb on 05 Jul 2008 - 13:29
- Ok Mr. Sarcastic Rolly-Eyes - maybe your time isn't that important. For some people however, an update that means WU will be less disruptive to their computer usage is an update that's worth having.
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#1.2 Posted by bobbba on 05 Jul 2008 - 15:03
- 20% is a healthy increase, have you never bought a graphics card, cpu or other hardware item for a 20% or less speed increase? (and this update will be free!)
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#1.3 Posted by GP007 on 06 Jul 2008 - 12:19
- Any free update the boosts performance/speed/stability etc are welcomed. Keep them coming MS.
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#1.4 Posted by C_Guy on 07 Jul 2008 - 21:02
- Was that your comment? Copying then bolding part of the article? Or is your whole contribution that little emoticon?
Wow, thanks for the fantastic input on this story!
In other news, it appears that a vast majority of people appreciate the improvement in performance of a complimentary service Microsoft has provided it's customers for 10 years.
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(16 replies)
#2 Posted by theyarecomingforyou on 05 Jul 2008 - 13:37
- So they've got the time to work on this but not on Ultimate Extras? Epic fail.
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#2.1 Posted by .hasan on 05 Jul 2008 - 13:41
- epic fail for thinking the team that updates windows update has anything to do with ultimate extras
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#2.2 Posted by majortom1981 on 05 Jul 2008 - 13:56
- (theyarecomingforyou said @ #1)So they've got the time to work on this but not on Ultimate Extras? Epic fail.
I would rather have microsoft put that time into the next version of windows. There is not a single thing that microsoft can add to vista ultimate that would impress me -
#2.3 Posted by +GreyWolfSC on 05 Jul 2008 - 15:17
- (theyarecomingforyou said @ #2)So they've got the time to work on this but not on Ultimate Extras? Epic fail.
They do something wrong, they get slammed. Something right? Slammed again. Maybe everyone should just go stick their head in a bucket of water and leave it there... -
#2.4 Posted by theyarecomingforyou on 05 Jul 2008 - 16:40
- (majortom1981 said @ #3)I would rather have microsoft put that time into the next version of windows.
I couldn't care less what you think - Ultimate Extras were a PROMISED feature of Vista Ultimate. The update screen actually tells you to check back regularly, yet all they've released is a handful of virtually useless items (sound schemes, languages, etc).(.hasan said @ #2)epic fail for thinking the team that updates windows update has anything to do with ultimate extras
How do you know they don't? They're both delivered through the same service, so it's entirely possible they are linked. -
#2.5 Posted by +TCLN Ryster on 05 Jul 2008 - 19:03
- (theyarecomingforyou said @ #2.4)(.hasan said @ #2)epic fail for thinking the team that updates windows update has anything to do with ultimate extras
How do you know they don't? They're both delivered through the same service, so it's entirely possible they are linked.
So are Office Updates, Exchange Server Updates and SQL Server Updates.... I suppose it's "entirely possible" those are all made by the same team too.
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#2.6 Posted by Smigit on 05 Jul 2008 - 19:19
- (TCLN Ryster said @ #2.5)don't forget visual studio, .net, silverlight, wmp along with NVidia drivers(theyarecomingforyou said @ #2.4)(.hasan said @ #2)epic fail for thinking the team that updates windows update has anything to do with ultimate extras
How do you know they don't? They're both delivered through the same service, so it's entirely possible they are linked.
So are Office Updates, Exchange Server Updates and SQL Server Updates.... I suppose it's "entirely possible" those are all made by the same team too.
But seriously...they delivered the Ultimate Extras they promised and beyond that no promise was made as to how many they would deliver. Hell, lets play along and imagine the same guys developing Windows Update also do Ultimate Extras. Even if they could be allocated more time to add extras I'd much rather see them spending their time working on the Update Infrastructure given it's a pretty fundamental part of the OS and all.
I'd like to hope no one actually bought Ultimate for the extras and instead saw them as a small bonus on the side. -
#2.7 Posted by theyarecomingforyou on 05 Jul 2008 - 20:35
- Delivered all they promised? It said to "check back regularly" for more extras, though they've removed that now. I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that updates every 9 months is not "regular", especially when most of that was for language packs (something that should be available to all, not just an "extra"
. I, like many others, was expecting new items to be released every couple of months - nothing major but most items like Bitlocker, Dreamscene and Texas Hold 'Em. Microsoft misrepresented what Ultimate Extras actually were - they are a huge company and their behaviour on this matter is unacceptable. -
#2.8 Posted by x-byte on 06 Jul 2008 - 00:19
- The Internet sure got a lot of ignorant people. They never fail to amaze me.
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#2.9 Posted by theyarecomingforyou on 06 Jul 2008 - 02:12
- It's interesting that you call other people ignorant yet fail to justify that statement or state to whom you are referring (or which particular statement). Are we supposed to guess? Telepathy isn't my thing.
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#2.10 Posted by krasch on 06 Jul 2008 - 06:17
- (theyarecomingforyou said @ #2.4)(majortom1981 said @ #3)I would rather have microsoft put that time into the next version of windows.
I couldn't care less what you think - Ultimate Extras were a PROMISED feature of Vista Ultimate. The update screen actually tells you to check back regularly, yet all they've released is a handful of virtually useless items (sound schemes, languages, etc).(.hasan said @ #2)epic fail for thinking the team that updates windows update has anything to do with ultimate extras
How do you know they don't? They're both delivered through the same service, so it's entirely possible they are linked.
Just because you personally don't find the items they've released useful doesn't change the reality that they did in fact release said items, so they did actually release Ultimate Extras, just not ones you were expecting.
The issue, perhaps, is in your expectations as opposed to what they actually released. I'm sure some people do find the extras useful. -
#2.11 Posted by Smigit on 06 Jul 2008 - 07:43
- (theyarecomingforyou said @ #2.7)I, like many others, was expecting new items to be released every couple of months - nothing major but most items like Bitlocker, Dreamscene and Texas Hold 'Em. Microsoft misrepresented what Ultimate Extras actually were - they are a huge company and their behaviour on this matter is unacceptable.I don't think they over hyped them at all. They showed off dreamscene and that got people excited, mentioned Bit locker too but they didn't do that big a frenzy about it. I haven't seen a single advertising campaign for instance that focused on those features.
If anyone mirepresented them it was the press and media, not MS. People generated their own ideas of what they would be and hyped the features ALOT more than MS ever did. Hell, they were almost announced at the 11th hour...it wasn't until very late in the development that they were even unveiled. They were never that vital a part of Vista.
And as mentioned they delivered those promised. The "check back for updates" could easily refer to the fact that several of them arrived a few months plus after vista arrived and thus people did have to check back. I'm sorry they didn't meet your expectations, but MS delivered on those that were promised and any lack of further deliveries is more an issue with people thinking they are more than they ever were. I'd like more too but it won't kill me not to get them. In the end of the day MS gives away that much software that I'm not fussed if Ultimate Extras is ignored a bit. They could easily get some apps they currently distribute to everyone and make it an Ultimate Only extra....but who would want that? -
#2.12 Posted by Kushan on 06 Jul 2008 - 14:22
- (theyarecomingforyou said @ #2.4)(.hasan said @ #2)epic fail for thinking the team that updates windows update has anything to do with ultimate extras
How do you know they don't? They're both delivered through the same service, so it's entirely possible they are linked.
They're linked in the same way that EVERYTHING on Microsoft's website is linked. I don't think you realise just how huge Microsoft is, they're the biggest software company in the world, they have hundreds of individual teams that work on different things, even things that actually DO link together in some way but are separated to a degree for a design sake.
Windows Updates have nothing to do with Ultimate Extras, the extras just happen to be delivered through the service, along with just about everything else.
Besides, why are you bitching, anyway? Even if they WERE made by the same team, can you honestly say you'd rather have some unnamed extra that you'll probably never use instead of a PERFORMANCE upgrade?
I know what I'd want. -
#2.13 Posted by theyarecomingforyou on 06 Jul 2008 - 22:06
- (Kushan said @ #13)Besides, why are you bitching, anyway? Even if they WERE made by the same team, can you honestly say you'd rather have some unnamed extra that you'll probably never use instead of a PERFORMANCE upgrade?
I'd rather have something that was an advertised feature versus something that wasn't expected. Obviously all improvements are a good thing.(Smigit said @ #12)I don't think they over hyped them at all.
I never said over-hyped but misrepresented. They didn't explain that the items they announced were pretty much all we were going to get and it did say to check back regularly. It was implied, or could be perceived, that there would be a constant flow of releases. If that was always their intention they should have made very clear that that was what people should expect. We're not talking about a small, naive company - we're talking about the largest software company with the dominant market position. It's simply pathetic behaviour.(Kushan said @ #13)I don't think you realise just how huge Microsoft is, they're the biggest software company in the world, they have hundreds of individual teams that work on different things
Exactly. Which is why it's so annoying that they couldn't just chuck together a handful of stuff to appease the masses. -
#2.14 Posted by hapbt on 07 Jul 2008 - 14:43
- epic fail for thinking they were ever going to do anything with the ultimate extras
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#2.15 Posted by C_Guy on 07 Jul 2008 - 21:04
- Epic fail for not getting the point of the story and trying yet again to use any Microsoft story as an opportunity to bash Vista.
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(2 replies)
#3 Posted by ajua on 05 Jul 2008 - 21:46
- I agree with the assumption that most users thought that Ultimate Extras would appear regularly over time, but this was not the case. However, Microsoft did what it said and sadly, no more, no less in this regard.
I think that the Windows Update team did a wonderful job with Vista because of the way it works. And for the speed increase, is a change most of us will appreciate. -
#3.1 Posted by theyarecomingforyou on 05 Jul 2008 - 23:45
- Windows Update does indeed work well, as does the automatic checking for drivers - this makes Vista a lot more user friendly than XP.
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#3.2 Posted by Hofbrau on 07 Jul 2008 - 00:30
- (theyarecomingforyou said @ #3.1)Windows Update does indeed work well, as does the automatic checking for drivers - this makes Vista a lot more user friendly than XP.
Windows Update has had "automatic checking for drivers" since it was released back in 1998 with the release of Windows 98 (the quality of those drivers, the breadth of drivers available, and whether or not you chose to install them, are other issues entirely...), so, there is no relative advantage of Vista over XP in that regard.
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(1 reply)
#4 Posted by Citrusleak on 06 Jul 2008 - 02:32
- This is great. Windows update has always been a pet peeve of mine ever since xp because of how long it took to update. Any speed improvement is great!
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#4.1 Posted by Hofbrau on 07 Jul 2008 - 06:38
- (Citrusleak said @ #4)This is great. Windows update has always been a pet peeve of mine ever since xp because of how long it took to update. Any speed improvement is great!
Assuming you are actually referring to Microsoft Update and not Windows Update (two different sites/services), you might actually want to try Windows Update instead of Microsoft Update - on older slower PCs with less RAM, Windows Update can often be nearly instantaneous with its results, compared to a 5-45 minutes wait with Microsoft Update. You can always switch back to Microsoft Update when you are finished getting the OS patches, to get "other" updates...
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(3 replies)
#5 Posted by jesseinsf on 06 Jul 2008 - 02:44
- it scans fast untill you install "Microsoft Update"....I hope this update works with Microsoft Update as well.
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#5.1 Posted by random_n on 07 Jul 2008 - 00:33
- It's only slow if you have a select few programs that Microsoft Update works on, and make heavy use of Windows Installer. It seems Office 2003 is by far the worst offender here; Microsoft Update with Office 2007 scans pretty quickly.
I still can't understand why they just don't use the code from Office Update in Microsoft Update. It's stupid-fast on every system, and even works on Office 2000 as well. If you fake the user-agent in Internet Explorer to NT 5.x, Office Update works in Vista too.
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#5.2 Posted by cork1958 on 07 Jul 2008 - 02:54
- (jesseinsf said @ #5)it scans fast untill you install "Microsoft Update"....I hope this update works with Microsoft Update as well.
Same thing here. It has taken as long 20 minutes just to scan for the updates. That's NOT including the amount of time to download, verify and install. Getting to the point of almost hating to do Microsoft updates!
Heard it was because of of Office 2003, but still........................
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(2 replies)
#6 Posted by +shakey_snake on 06 Jul 2008 - 03:46
- Is this evidence that that "letter" Bill Gates supposedly penned has credibility?
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#6.1 Posted by MioTheGreat on 06 Jul 2008 - 04:19
- That email was from 2003, and was about the Microsoft download site. They're currently redesigning that site with Silverlight.
This is about Windows Update, and this seems like a fairly routine performance upgrade. -
#6.2 Posted by Hofbrau on 07 Jul 2008 - 06:49
- (MioTheGreat said @ #6.1)That email was from 2003, and was about the Microsoft download site. They're currently redesigning that site with Silverlight.
This is about Windows Update, and this seems like a fairly routine performance upgrade.
The email contained experience issues both for Windows Update, and Microsoft Downloads at Microsoft.com.
Yes, the email was from 2003, but got a significant amount of attention last week in both the tech media and the general media, as, indeed, many of the issues the issues he brought up, are still valid and extant today, thus making it what is called "contemporary" - and while I agree its most likely just a matter of timing coincidence, its not unreasonable to wonder if indeed there was some impact on the release of timing of the update itself, or the blog info itself.
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(1 reply)
#7 Posted by Airlink on 07 Jul 2008 - 04:37
- This is hardly news. Microsoft rolls out updates to Windows Update like this semi-regularly. Excuse me while I shrug.
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#7.1 Posted by Hofbrau on 07 Jul 2008 - 07:05
- (Airlink said @ #7)This is hardly news. Microsoft rolls out updates to Windows Update like this semi-regularly. Excuse me while I shrug.
Really? When was the last time they pre-announced scanning performance improvements "like this" on their "blog"?
I'm sure that happened just a couple months ago, and you'll be providing the specific details of those prior Windows Update performance improvement blog announcements when you get done "shrugging"..
For enterprise customers who use Windows Server Update Services or Systems Management Server, all updating, including the WU client, is controlled by the network administrators, who have authority over the download and install experience. Windows Vista customers who select “never check for updates” in their WU settings will not receive this update until they manually install updates from Windows Update.
In this particular update, there will not make any changes to the way WU looks or feels, instead the following have been improved:
- The length of time it takes Windows Update to scan for updates
- The speed in which signature updates will be delivered
Detailed information on this is posted on the Microsoft Update blog.