Microsoft Update Beta Draws to a Close

Microsoft Update (MU) is swiftly approaching the end of its beta testing cycle. In a letter addressed to testers, Product Manager Roger Hollander announced the availability of a final release candidate that will set MU's release to manufacturing into motion.

Microsoft Update was first revealed by Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates during a keynote address given at the RSA 2005 conference. The site unifies patching services for Windows and Office, extending the Windows Update philosophy across other product lines.

Hollander's parting words to testers were, "Soon I will be sending out the MU-beta-has-ended announcement. Along with that, I will post a collection of statistics in the update.announcements newsgroup, reflecting all the hard work you individually and collectively have contributed to this making this beta program successful."

Over 25,000 testers participated in the beta including a cadre of Microsoft MVPs, customers and partners proficient in Office, Exchange and SQL.

The majority of testers were drawn from previous panels.