Beta?

SQL 2008 CTP is a beta. It's supposed to have bugs. That's because it's being made available before they're done with it.

I can certainly see the viewpoint that they should have fixed all the bugs they reasonably could have, especially the _super-important ones_ that prevent you from starting the service on February 29th (unless you twiddle your computer's calendar by a day, start the service, then twiddle the calendar back), before they let anyone have a look at how the software is shaping up.

But then it wouldn't be a "Community Technology Preview", would it? And everyone would be complaining that if Microsoft (sorry - Micro$oft) had only let the community preview the new technology, the community could have offered all sorts of helpful criticism about things they do and don't like, before there wasn't any time left to tweak the bells and whistles.

I s'pose since I've taken the unpopular standpoint of defending a software company that happens to be Microsoft, I better go with the billg halo.