Never mind

As Emily Litella used to say regularly on Saturday Night Live: Never Mind!

The Microsoft course reversals -- such as the reintroduction of a Windows Start Button and the cancellation of the "Always On" requirement for Xbox One -- are continuing.

The latest 180, announced by the company on September 9, is that MSDN/TechNet subscribers and volume licensees are going to be able to get their hands on the Windows 8.1 release to manufacturing (RTM) bits early, after all. In fact, Microsoft is making the RTM versions of Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Pro available to those groups today, September 9, starting at 10 a.m. PST. Microsoft also will be releasing the RTM version of Windows Server 2012 R2 to MSDN/TechNet and volume licensees today.

The Windows 8.1 Enterprise SKU will be available to MSDN/TechNet and volume licensees before the end of September, officials said today. The RTM version of Windows 8.1 RT still isn't going to be released early. (Windows 8.1 RT has leaked to the Web, however.)

Microsoft's decision, reiterated a couple of weeks ago, was to withhold the RTM bits from everyone until October 18, the official "launch" of the product. This unprecedented move resulted in outcry from many -- especially developers. Some devs maintained they needed the RTM bits to make sure their current Windows apps work with the soon-to-be-released update to Windows 8. (The devs also need the RTM version of Visual Studio 2013 to get their updated Windows apps ready. The near-final but not-yet-RTM version of Visual Studio 2013, the Release Candidate build, is available to developers today, as well.

Why the change of heart around early access? Microsoft execs say they heard loud and clear that the original decision not to provide partners with the RTM bits early made for "a big challenge" for those preparing for 8.1 availability. (I'm not quite sure why it took expected, vociferous complaints for Microsoft management to realize this, but at least they are responding.)