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Windows Vista To Come In 7 Flavors
Posted by
Zonk
on Sun Sep 11, 2005 07:46 AM
from the almost-like-baskin-robbins dept.
from the almost-like-baskin-robbins dept.
Dionne writes "Microsoft is really milking it with this one: According to an Ars Technica report, there will be 7 versions of Windows Vista: Starter Edition, Home Basic Edition, Home Premium Edition, Professional Edition, Small
Business Edition, Enterprise Edition, and Ultimate Edition." From the article: "Windows Vista Ultimate Edition is a superset of both Vista Home Premium and Vista Pro Edition, so it includes all of the features of both of those product versions, plus adds Game Performance Tweaker with integrated gaming experiences, a Podcast creation utility (under consideration, may be cut from product), and online "Club" services (exclusive access to music, movies, services and preferred customer care) and other offerings (also under consideration, may be cut from product)."
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Flavours? (Score:5, Funny)
They left out.. (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:They left out.. (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:They left out.. (Score:5, Interesting)
From TFA:
One final note worth mentioning is that this strategy does remove the "corporate Windows XP" option from the hands of pirates. Volume licensing for Pro, SBE, and EE may still mean that there will be copies of Windows Vista out there that don't "call home" for Windows Product Activation, but as you can see, Microsoft has removed most of the features that most pirates would want from those OSes. You won't see corporate licensing versions of Ultimate Edition.
So, no volume licences for versions with all the fancy multimedia bells and whistles (HDTV, DVD authoring, DVD ripping, etc). They seem to figure potential pirates would want these features and businesses will not. Though speaking as someone who has worked in a school's IT department I can say there's at least one environment that may well want features like that but still has enough installs to do to make per machine activiation impractical.
Parent
Re:Flavours? (Score:5, Informative)
Microsoft Office Word 2003 [buy.com] (the upgrade version is about half the price)
Microsoft Office Excel 2003 [buy.com] (the upgrade version is about half the price)
If "too many options confuse people and make them pissed off," then Linux is absolutely fucked.
Parent
Re:Flavours? (Score:5, Informative)
Oh for cryin' out loud -- I seriously don't know how much easier it can get to install linux anymore. Pick a major distro, any distro, pop in cd or dvd, answer a couple questions (i.e., keyboard layout, time zone, use entire disk (or freespace), username, password (type it twice), wait awhile, done). No endless install driver, reboot, install driver, reboot, install driver, reboot, install software, reboot. When linux is done, it's done for 90% of what people want -- surf net, read email, write papers. And adding the extra things just isn't that darn hard (e.g., in ubuntu, fire up synaptic and click little checkboxes and then press "install", similar process with Suse YaST, and I'm sure RH/Fedora is just as easy).
It is a bald faced lie to say linux is hard to install. The fact is, it's becoming SO darn easy that I fear linux is going to loose it's geek coolness factor -- anyone who can put a CD in a computer has all the skills necessary to install linux right now.
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Distrowatch will need a new catagory... (Score:5, Insightful)
Anyone know what the major differences are between the versions then? Will schools (which is where I make a living as a sysadmin) and businesses require Enterprise edition for networks or what?
I should RTFA, eh?
Re:Distrowatch will need a new catagory... (Score:5, Insightful)
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Yes, and they would all be named... (Score:5, Funny)
1. Slackware Spam
2. Slackware Eggs Ham Spam
3. Slackware Spam Eggs Spam and Eggs Ham Spam
4. Slackware Spam Spam Spam Eggs Spam Ham Spam
5. Slackware Eggs Spam Spam Spam Ham Spam Spam.
6. Slackware Spam Spam Spam Spam Ham Spam Ham.
and
7. Slackware Eggs Spam and Spam Ham Spam with Eggs Ham Spam.
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Re:Distrowatch will need a new catagory... (Score:5, Insightful)
First of all, knock off the "starter edition" altogether in most parts of the world. Even the countries where it exists, it's not used significantly. I'm socked Microsoft is even maintaining that idea at all.
Then, most people will only ever have to worry about the two home versions. The niches they fill are pretty much pre-established: most OEMs will deliver the watered down version, whereas most do-it-yourselfers will probably get the more advanced version. Same as XP Home vs Pro.
The biggest fragmentation seems to be in the business-oriented versions, but even current businesses have some fragmentation (2003 server vs. XP Pro.) Adding one "distro" and separating the "home pros" from the "work pros" isn't all that unreasonable. In fact, companies might welcome the default removal of the media player. Lastly, you get the Windows with Everything, including the kitchen sink--something that's necessary in case you want the business features coupled with multimedia features.
Truth is, 99% of the people will use whatever's handed to them. The only people who will have any sort of decision to make will be the power users and corporations, who can just run down the feature list and choose whatever meets their needs. Assuming the prices scale (and assuming/hoping that they are more-or-less bounded by the current pricing scheme) what this actually does is add more choice for how to spend your money, and add more gradations of money to spend. Really, it's a step towards the right direction in Windows, which would be allowing you to custom build the components you want and getting a price based on what you asked for.
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Re:Distrowatch will need a new catagory... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not that simple, man.
Do you know how many times I've had to explain to so-and-so that their computer they purchased at Best Buy with XPHome and brought to work can't be joined to the domain? That it isn't going to be able to use Exchange-based Outlook?
This is a real common problem for us ground-pounders who support small-to-medium businesses. For example, a lot of the clients I deal with started out with a simple workgroup, and have since wanted to upgrade to a 2003 SBServer in order to gain access to Exchange, centralized file storage, and centralized user management. But, sice they bought their computers from CompUSA, they have to now buy all new computers, with a $160 OS. Or pay hourly to upgrade from XPHome to Pro, plus the $99 upgrade. Real Estate offices are notorius for this - agents usually buy their own computers for use in the office.
Making more versions of windows is only going to compound this issue. Additionally, you're going to get users who expect certain things to be in the OS, and will call and ask when they aren't. Or, how about "removing media player from the pro version"?? You don't charge *more* for a product, and strip things out of it.
This is going to be an end-user support nightmare. When they don't understand now that there are two versions, and the differences between them, what's going to happen when there are 6 or 7 available?
~Will
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Re:Too many targets (Score:5, Interesting)
You know, I actually remember back when home computers were new....and actually called home computers (or, sometimes, microcomputers). Back then every computer brand was utterly different, different OS, different base language, often a different processor. It was chaos and it was glorious. There were a massive amount of computer systems to choose from, from extremely light, low end, cheap systems like the Timex-Sinclair 1000, to the mid-range C-64, to the expensive IBM PC. All were different. All had a wealth of software avaliable for them. Developers wrote software for their chosen machines, their chosen OS, but often they wrote completely different versions of the same software for multiple types of machines (Visicalc was a good example of this). Nobody complained to my knowledge.
Too many people have grown up in a monopolist, monoculture society, they think computing has to be that way and always has been.
As for the different distributions of Linux....yes, they are different distributions of Linux, but they are not really different "distributions" of the same OS. Essentially they are different operating systems, each built around GNU and the Linux kernel. Do we call OS X a "distribution" of BSD? No, not really, it's a unique OS qith it's own quirks, and it's own top layer, and it's customised. Linux distros are no different. Most take GNU and the Linux kernel, and add a top layer of their own. That top layer may itelf be just mildly customised versions of the "standard" along with a few custom libraries and integrated applications (Mandriva, SuSE, etc...) or it may be more radical (GNUStep). Sometimes, they are even proprietary (Linspire). And they all usually customise the kernel to suit their needs, so between them even the kernel is different. They are all different competing operating systems, based around the same standards and low level components, rather than different "versions" of the same OS. For that, you need to look at the different versions within the same distro.
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'Ultimate' Edition (Score:5, Interesting)
What are the odds that you'll be able to 'upgrade' from one version to the other by changing one registry key? [theregister.co.uk]
Re:'Ultimate' Edition (Score:5, Funny)
And rebooting. Don't forget the rebooting.
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Re:'Ultimate' Edition (Score:5, Interesting)
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This is going to confuse the hell out of people. (Score:5, Insightful)
Home users probably won't know what version they have, and that will complicate tech support calls of all types. It'll be difficult to help people calling for aide, regardless of whether they're calling Dell tech support or their nephew.
Developers will continually have to look up what features each system supports, and may very well just end up developing for the lowest common denominator in order to maximize support across all versions.
It was difficult enough trying to get average users to understand that Windows XP Home is different from Windows XP Professional. Hell, it's difficult enough to even remember all these names, let alone remember what features are different between each.
Re:This is going to confuse the hell out of people (Score:5, Informative)
Been there, done that.
- "So do you have service pack 2 installed?"
- "Uhm, maybe you should speak to my son, I am not much into this..."
- "Hold the little flag button on the bottom left of your keyboard, then push the Pause/Break button faaar up on the right at the same time"
- "Oh, something happened."
- "Can you read what is says under System?"
- "Uh, yes, Windows... copyright, oh, Service pack 2"
Usually this does not take longer than 30 secs, and will most likely work on Vista too.
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Better nip this one early (Score:5, Funny)
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that's the point (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:This is going to confuse the hell out of people (Score:5, Funny)
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The infamous Missing Vista Editions... (Score:5, Funny)
- Vista Compact Edition: with just the software you need, including the much appreciated MSOfficeCompact, this edition runs on your P100 with 128Mb.
- Vista Instant Edition: bootable in so many ways, this is all the software you need to boot that recaltricant box and get it working again. Comes complete with legacy support for every known device.
- Vista Grandmother Edition: simple, fast, and based on all the best of Windows Secure, this is the software you wished you'd had when your parents asked, "How do I get onto the Internet?"
- Vista Open Edition: free, and packed to the hilt with first-class open source, all verified and tuned by MicrosoftOpenLabs for that smooth experience. Comes with full source code.
Re:The infamous Missing Vista Editions... (Score:5, Funny)
- Vista EU Edition: Starter or Home Basic without Media Player.
- Vista Monopoly Edition: clippy destroys any software that does not belong to Microsoft.
Parent
Re:The infamous Missing Vista Editions... (Score:5, Funny)
http://www.openbsd.org/ [openbsd.org]
- Vista Compact Edition
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/ [damnsmalllinux.org]
- Vista Instant Edition
http://www.knoppix.org/ [knoppix.org]
- Vista Grandmother Edition
http://www.apple.com/ [apple.com]
- Vista Open Edition
http://www.debian.org/ [debian.org]
Parent
I see this as a good thing (Score:5, Insightful)
Support nightmare (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm already having a headache with 7 different editions of Windows 2003 Server and what limitations each one has. Now 7 desktop editions. Obviously they like the number 7.
Can't they just do like Apple and have 1 Client and 1 Server edition of the OS. Even RedHat has only 3 server editions and 1 desktop edition.
Nooo, MSFT has decided to milk us all the way with a product segmentation strategy. Well, I guess that they need all the money they can get with their revenues being stagnant in the past several years.
hell yes. (Score:5, Interesting)
There's eight different servers (a test bed), just about all of them have to be treated in some special way (iis5 exports stuff differently than iis6, forcing me to write my parser *twice* to make things work right.
Even better, sometimes different service packs change things around in undocumented ways, forcing me to once again re-write individual scripts to take that into account.
Eight boxes, two versions of Microsoft operating systems, two service packs and I have five(!) different scripts to handle it all and make it work.
Where Do You Want To Go Today, indeed.
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Will there be... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Will there be... (Score:5, Insightful)
No, really. If Apple opens that up to all Wintel computer companies, it will rule them all. That is if they ever do.
Parent
Article Text (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Article Text (Score:5, Funny)
Home Basic Edition, Anger
Home Premium Edition, - Pride
Professional Edition, - Lust
Small Business Edition, - Envy
Enterprise Edition, and Greed
Ultimate Edition.- Gluttony
I think these are better names for the editions.
I'll take a Windows Vista Gluttony Edition, thanks
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Seems like a load of arse to me. (Score:5, Interesting)
Still - I'm not worried - it looks like England will win the Test, and I run Linux, so all is well.
Every other OS is easier to buy(or simply:select)? (Score:5, Interesting)
Remember there was a company that had an ad [man.ac.uk] complaining how Linux came in too many "mutations" (the basis of evolution BTW)?
New Motto (Score:5, Funny)
Educated guesses (Score:5, Insightful)
I predict that...
General people will buy the cheapest version that runs all applications. That version will be bundled with majority of the home computers. That will probably be the 'Basic' Home version. Don't expect it to be any cheaper than current Home Edition - MS has a monopoly, no reason to undercut in such situation. Premium crap will most likely be priced like today's Pro version, and will only sell to the crowd that today buys Media Center Edition.
If there are feature differences that matter to the applications (such as games or normal productivity apps) everyone will ignore crippled versions - bye bye starter ed. Dunno why MS can't figure this out.
Ultimate Edition will probably be sold to the Alienware/Dell XPS crowd that is too clueless. Rest will ignore the MS software clutter - especially since the ultimate edition has 'subscription' written all over it - the OS itself might work without one, but if it adds any downloadable extras, those will definitely want your personal information, and probably monthly fee sooner or later. I guess MS has gotten addicted to the mothly income it gathers from XBox Live subscribers. Someone has probably calculated how much they'd make if they could milk monthly fees from (some) Windows users as well.
As far as Warez goes - unless the 'Corporate Pro/Enterprise editions' are crippled in some way that matters to home user (lack of MCE features doesn't really qualify), that will be the version(s) that will make rounds - just like today. Additionally the 'Ultimate' version will be cracked to satisfy the 'Must have best version' crowd that previously cackled and downloaded warez versions of such gems as Win2003 Advanced Server for their home PCs so they could have the 'best' Windows. However, most won't want to bother with the extra bloat - or it will be ripped out of the Ultimate and plugged to a suitably modded Corporate version.
Just my 2 cents...
Customer confusion (Score:5, Funny)
Customer: I want to upgrade my Windows 2000 machine to Vista. Which version do I need?
M$: Oh that's easy. How much money do you have?
Obvious (Score:5, Interesting)
3 applications? That that include background utilities like virus scanner and firewall? What about IM? So I have AVG, Zonealarm and Trillian running (did I pick the right ones? those are the current choices on
I'm moving to linux (Score:5, Funny)
Working Edition (Score:5, Funny)
I don't care how many flavors they have. Just give me a Working Edition
Vista? What a JOKE (Score:5, Insightful)
I make my living as a software architect for a large national corporation using the Win32 platform. I've got over 15 years coding & design experience.
I started out with Borland products, but slowly migrated to MS products due to the following factors:
1) Tools were built by the makers of the OS
2) API Documentation
3) Microsoft's desire to support the development community
4) OS stability - Laugh if you like, but at the time there wasn't much else to run on an 8088.
Screw The Developers
Recently, Microsoft has decided that the development community needed more "options" - In other words, let's screw all of the MSDN Universal holders into "Upgrading" to a new type of subscription - Therefore changing the concept of "Universal" to mean "Kinda sorta, but not really". You no longer can get "EVERYTHING" any more.
Screw The Consumer
Next - They're moving on to Vista (what a STUPID name) with 7 different flavors. They are "creating" a compositing desktop using the graphics hardware and touting it as the next "New Thing(tm)". Instead of using a bitmapped desktop, they've gone to this "new innovation". Uh - Mac OSX has done this since day 1. Nothing new here.
Along with "Vista", they are incorporating many "new" things - Security concepts that are really just hacks on top of a horrible idea.
Fundamentally, Microsoft has refused to accept that they themselves perpetuate the security problems they currently have. Most Win32 developers have been bottle fed to accept that the local user has admin rights. They code everything with this assumption. Because of this, Microsoft has had a VERY difficult time securing the desktop. Microsoft has no choice but to try and design around a problem of their own creation.
Fact is you cannot secure a machine where there is, effectively, no security. I say "effectively" because if all users have all rights, then where is the security?
Combine the Two Above - Rinse/Wash/Repeat
This long diatribe is really to sum up that Microsoft has ignored the problems for so long, and is not even prepared to address them with the development community. Even their latest development "security" attempts are too little too late for such an egregious flaw.
And now, to top it off, they're going to attempt to baffle the world with bullshit by releasing 7 versions of an OS - What a fantastically stupid idea.
The downward spiral started many years ago, and will end with people like me leaving the platform for something that truly performs - For something not built on technical quicksand.
(BTW - I type this from my G5 Mac in my home where the last remaining PC is serving as print server and remote desktop to host VS.NET so that I can work at home - They're are now 4 other Macs in the house)
Looks as if Microsoft... (Score:5, Insightful)
Lest you think I'm trolling, I have a legitimate question: Why must there be so much stratification?
Guy Kawasaki was fond of using the analogy of sailors and passengers aboard a ship: "A passenger gets on a ship, plays shuffleboard, and eats at the captain's table. A sailor weighs the anchor, goes into the engine room, and gets grease under his fingernails." He said that a product that was deep, indulgent, complete, and elegant could appeal to both kinds of users.
What we have here isn't any of these things. Instead, it's what a marketer sees as a way to "add value" and provide "choice" and ultimately increase revenues, but what it will really produce is confusion, because no one is going to be really sure which of Microsoft's offerings will suit them best.
Over here.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Most of users who don't know nothing of OSes, buy it thinking it is XP and they realize that once they already bought them.
I'm not sure if this is good or bad, more like a Shing Yang.
PC vendors lower their costs that way, but they don't inform the user about the OS installed.
Users realize they don't have XP when they try to do something that they used to, or when they try to download MSN. Then, the general line of thinking is "I can't get anything done with Linux, Linux suck" and they get a pirated copy of XP.
Back to the topic, it's clear that MS don't want to let Linux reach the user. They will encourage PC vendors to sell the Vista version that only boots on odd days and let's you hit the start button once per session. That way they get ahead with this problem.
Linux has a chance NOW. Linux is actually reaching the user NOW, but fails to demonstrate that it is actually good for the common tasks that the user does.
I'm not saying that something can't be done with Linux. The problem is that the user simply doesn't realize that yet and they get rid of Linux before they have a chance to do so.
Re:So six of them have artificial limitations? (Score:5, Informative)
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Re:So six of them have artificial limitations? (Score:5, Funny)
Then Microsoft will be forced to release Windows Vista Champion Edition.
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Re:Windows Vista Forum (Score:5, Informative)
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Why do you run your site on Linux? (Score:5, Interesting)
http://uptime.netcraft.net/up/graph?site=www.winv
Is Windows, be it Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2003 Server, unable to cope with the minor loads your site receives?
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Re:Why do you run your site on Linux? (Score:5, Insightful)
Because they're not stupid zealots who has to use just 1 operative system to satisfy their ego? Because they're using a hosting company who runs linux?
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Re:Why do you run your site on Linux? (Score:5, Interesting)
We use the operating system that is the best for the job. I use Windows at home for some things. My notebook (which goes with me just about everywhere, including work) runs Linux. Maybe this guy just doesn't think that Windows is that hot for servers, but is more than capable as a workstation? Life isn't black and white, you know.
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Re:Yes. (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Yes. (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:just wondering... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, since you ask. Microsoft, for example.
the ipod + itunes combo is an outstanding example of how simplicity, reliability, and having a complete system can win over consumers even if the device is overpriced at times, and if other MP3 players have more features.
It's also a perfect example of how having a complete range, covering a wide variety of price points and feature sets, is not actually a bad thing.
"I'd like an iPod, please."
"Certainly, sir, would that be a 20 GB iPod, a 60 GB iPod, a 2 GB iPod Nano, a 4 GB iPod Nano, a 512 MB iPod Shuffle, a 1 GB iPod Shuffle, or we have some special editions over there and some old stock including various iPod Minis over there..."
In fact, all in all there are probably several times as many different variations on the iPod as there will be on Windows Vista. So, uh, what was your point again?
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