Microsoft published to its Web site over the past few days documentation that details changes the company is making to its built-in Vista search functionality that will be introduced with Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 1.

Developers will be exposed to these changes for the first time when Microsoft rolls out its Vista Service Pack (SP) 1 beta — which is expected any day now. At the end of August, Microsoft provided Department of Justice (DOJ) officials with a build of SP1 that included these changes so technical committee members overseeing Microsoft’s compliance with provisions from its federal antitrust case could evaluate whether Microsoft was delivering the changes to which it committed earlier this year.

At the end of August, Microsoft officials said to expect the Windows team to deliver to between 10,000 and 15,000 testers a beta of SP1 in two weeks’ time.

To prepare for the commencement of the SP1 beta, Microsoft is providing third-party developers with information on how it is changing destkop search in Vista, as well as on how third-party search applications will be able to integrate into Windows Vista.