Barry Goffe, Director of Windows Vista Ultimate, has now responded to the last days of angry posts on the non-existing upcoming Extras for Windows Vista Ultimate.
In his post he announces that Windows DreamScene now is officially released. I really hope that this is not a release that has been forced out from the Redmond buildings, due to the complaints, but instead something that actually works smooth. The language packs are still on delay - let them wait until they are ready, but keep us informed (not only when you are forced to!).
There are no more information on other upcoming Extras more than that they will continue to release “Extras that [they] are confident will delight our passionate Windows Vista Ultimate customers”.
Mr. Goffe also comments on why the Extras information in Vista SP1 has been trimmed down to a minimum with:
Our intent in making this change was simply to broaden the definition in anticipation of a broader range of Ultimate Extras being available in the future—that do not necessarily map to the original, narrow definition.
A tip for Mr. Goffe and the Extras team; why don’t you invite some external beta testers for the Extras, and let them test them and with your knowledge “leak” some information to the public. This is a well-known method for creating a hype and keeping the crowd informed on the development. If you do decide to take this approach, and be more open, don’t hesitate to contact me.