... According to an internal blog by Chris Jones, one of Microsoft's top Windows execs, the shipping target is Aug. 31. To be clear, that's not the day Vista will land on store shelves or be available on computers. Rather, that's the target to have software code complete and sent off to computer manufacturers. That way, they can test the software and start to build PCs in time for the holiday season.

... Jones's blog post appears to address the question of low morale head on. "If you want my personal accountability, I will not take a bonus if we don't ship Vista with high quality and the soul intact by August 31st, 2006," Jones writes in a Sept. 28 blog post that was obtained by BusinessWeek Online. "If there is more I can do, let me know."