There is much dissatisfaction regarding Microsoft's latest Windows Vista OS. It seems many people just can't get over Windows XP. Though i must admit, Vista interface looks cool, but they're just rippers off Linux implementations lah. Linux had it first, and now they're incorporating that dynamism into their Vista, only SLOWER.

No wonder Microsoft's extending XP sales till 2008. And they've even come up with XP Service Pack 3! Wowweeee.

The latest SP3 beta is labeled as build 3205 and is a rather small 334.92 MB download. The bloggers over at NeoSmart have gotten a hold of the new SP3 release and have detailed many of the new features and bugfixes with the software update.

According to NeoSmart, SP3 contains 1,073 hotfixes and patches; 114 of which are security related. SP3 also adds four major features to the Windows XP operating systems.

The first is a new activation scheme which will not require a product key during installation. The second feature is a new Network Access Protection Module first featured in Windows Vista. Other new items include a Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographics Module and a Black Hole Router detection algorithm.

The release of SP3 coupled with the announcement that XP will be available to businesses and consumers for a longer period of time could breathe new life into the venerable operating system. Many gamers have stuck by the operating system and OEMs like HP and Dell still offer XP on brand new systems.