Patches for a beta?

WinInsider provides this somewhat confused item: Windows XP SP2 Release Candidate patched:

“Microsoft has taken the unusual step of patching release candidate testing software by issuing three critical patches for Windows XP Service Pack 2 RC1. Pre-release software is buggy by definition and users normally expect to have problems fixed either in future test versions or in the final code.

“Testers visiting Windows Update found the updates last week, according to the BetaNews site. Two of the problems involved the Windows Firewall, a renamed and greatly updated version of Windows XP’s former Internet Connection Firewall that will debut with the service pack. The other problem involved dropped virtual private networking connections with Linksys gateway devices.”

They miss several points. First, this is a release candidate. By definition, that means that the development team felt the code was of sufficient quality to consider releasing it to the public. Second, it was released to the public, which apparently has downloaded it in large numbers. Third, these are not “bug fixes” in the traditional sense; these are patches that fix defects in critical security components: the Windows Firewall and VPN connections. Yes, beta software has bugs in it by definition, but it would be irresponsible in the extreme to encourage the public to download and install this code and then not fix security holes when they’re identified.

Finally, the automatic update capability is a key feature of SP2. As such, they deserve beta testing, and what better way to do that than by going “live” with critical updates to people running the release candidate? How else would we all know that this feature actually works?