Microsoft Promises End Of Patch upgrade nightmare...

Installer Refresh First Step to Ending Patch Management Nightmare
Proof in the pudding I'm sure.

As I first reported last month in WinInfo Daily UPDATE, Microsoft is working to end the patch-management nightmare by creating a new, centralized patch-management architecture for all its products. A new generation of services, such as Microsoft Update, and tools, such as the company's Windows Installer 3.0, will use the infrastructure.
For anyone who supports Microsoft's products, what was once a dream is suddenly becoming reality. This week, the company issued its first beta of Windows Installer 3.0, one of two installer programs that Microsoft will support under the new patch-management scheme. The final product should ship in early 2004.