Microsoft finally sends new operating system, Vista, to the manufacturer

Microsoft has released Windows Vista to manufacturing for release in shops January 1, marking the end of the operating system's five-year, and often difficult, development cycle. "This is a good day," said Jim Allchin, the co-president of the company's Windows division, in a press conference Wednesday morning. "An hour ago we signed off [on the RTM build]. We're ready to ship." The announcement, which was presaged in leaks from several Windows tipsters and analysts beginning last weekend, means that Microsoft has wrapped up its work on the Vista code, or at least the core code. Work can continue, for instance, on add-ons, including drivers, which will be delivered at launch or after via the Windows Update automatic update service.