After an agonising wait of betas and release candidates, it looks like MS in their infinite wisdom have now deemed DirectX 9 as fit for mortal human consumption.
"With three betas and two release candidates version we saw slowly and surely that DirectX 9 is about to become a fully fledged bird that will help some companies live happier and release DirectX 9 drivers."
Only a rumour right now, and your guess is as good as mine, but hey here's hoping....
More here at The Inquirer.