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Micro$oft doing its best to confuse customers

E.TE.T Quote-o-matic
in Zocalo v2.0
If you thought being tech support for neighbourhood with different age computers using different OSs is hard...
There will be just 8 different versions of Vista!

[url]http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_editions.asp[/url]

Comments

  • Random ChaosRandom Chaos Actually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
    Reading that list, I can't figure out if any of them give the spread of services I currently enjoy on 2000 Pro. They are just confusing.

    Reading through the checkbox below, Vista Premium offers "most" of the capabilities, but lacks a couple of things that I currently enjoy (such as no activation). Vista Ultimate provides everything, but that's going to be pricy. MS sucks. :rolleyes:
  • Entil'ZhaEntil'Zha I see famous people
    Re: Micro$oft doing its best to confuse customers

    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by E.T [/i]
    [B]If you thought being tech support for neighbourhood with different age computers using different OSs is hard...
    There will be just 8 different versions of Vista!

    [url]http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_editions.asp[/url] [/B][/QUOTE]


    Yeah Much more confusing than the dozens of Linux/BSD distros...
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    I'd have to get ultimate to get all the features I currently use. No doubt it'll have the ultimate price, too.
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    No multi-monitor on Vista Home. And Vista starter only able to have three applications open simultaneously? How would such benefit the marketing scheme?

    And for what it's worth, Ultimate looks to be rather lackluster, with the only remaining interesting features potentially to be left on the chopping block.
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    The starter thing is just the vista version of their version of XP for developing nations that they've had for a couple of years now (to combat the growth of linux and piracy of the way-to-expensive legit copies of windowS). It's stupid. Who in their right mind would be hobbled like that? I suspect that most people in developing nations would buy a computer with the hobbled version and just pirate a real version anyway. :D
  • JackNJackN <font color=#99FF99>Lightwave Alien</font>
    Doesn't matter to me, I'm not using Vista ever nor anything beyond it...

    XP is the last of the Windows OS's I will use, and even that I'm not too happy with.
  • ShadowDancerShadowDancer When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie." London, UK
    I'm with Jack on this. The only way I will switch to Vista is if 1) I have no choice, or 2) it is given to me free
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    Well, it's no doubt that MS will try very hard to make the former come to pass, so I'd consider cutting that option from your list.
  • AkrovahAkrovah Ranger
    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Biggles [/i]
    [B]I'd have to get ultimate to get all the features I currently use. No doubt it'll have the ultimate price, too. [/B][/QUOTE]

    I just wish they'd buckle down and tell us that price, so that we may begin braying and neighing appropriatly.
  • Random ChaosRandom Chaos Actually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
    What I fail to understand is, if they are going to have product activation, why are they even trying if they don't put it on everything? People that pirate are going to pirate the versions without activation, regardless. And corporations refuse activation. That effectively makes activation useless, beyond annoying consumers and the like.

    Notice that the Ultimate Edition doesn't have activation...
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    It's just further evidence that their product portfolio is dangerously bloated with unnecessary "features," or on the other side, simply lacking in capabilities, with no single product offering a comfortable middleground. what they need is to (at the very least) combine the Premium and Basic home/business editions into one and simplify the lineup into Vista Starter (still dumb, but they probably won't kill it), Vista Basic, Vista Premium, Vista Ultimate, Vista Enterprise/Server. It's still unnecessarily large, but I see no likelyhood of Microsoft cutting back any further.

    Oh, and don't forget that each vista iteration will have an 32-bit and x64 edition...doubling the versions on the market. that's around [b]fifteen[/b] damned versions of Windows Vista.
  • Vorlons in my HeadVorlons in my Head The Vorlons told me to.
    The only thing that stands out as new and absurd is the Starter edition but hey, whatever. If you can't afford anything better than starter edition chances are you'll be running a pirated versions of Ultimate anyway. Everything else is the same thing that has always been around and finally the Ultimate package which actualyl has been missing from their current lineup.

    Vista Basic = XP Home

    Vista Home Premium = XP Mediacenter

    Vista Businness = XP Pro

    Small Business = Small Business. Even though they skipped this in XP since the 2K verion pretty much did the same thing, MS has always offered an NT and 2K version of Small businness edition. This is actually a very usefull and practical product for very small offices.

    Vista enterprise = This seems analogous to what used to be Windows Server Datacenter except for the desktop. It looks like it will work the same way. Its an OEM product specifically tailored for the industry and hardware it will run on. You can't go and buy or order this at a store. The only ones who need to worry about this are those who NEED it.

    Vista Ultimate = a product that was definately lacking in their lineup. Its a mix of what would now be XP Pro and XP Media Center. XP media center is a version on Home so that means if you need the features of Pro you are screwed. This just merged two products that were lacking. So why not just offer Ultimate instead of Business? Probably because corporate buyers will not want to shell out extra cost for a bloated version that has useless Media Center functionality and similar distractions.

    From a consumer standpoint people will only have the same basic three options as always.
  • AkrovahAkrovah Ranger
    Couldn't they theoretically put both the 32 and 64 bit binaries on the same disc, or make a version that is 64 bit with a 32 bit compatible mode like AMD did with the x64 processors?

    I know its software instead of hardware, but i think they should be able to write code that would be able to detect which type a person is running.
  • Vorlons in my HeadVorlons in my Head The Vorlons told me to.
    Apparently you will also be able to upgrade your copy online. If you buy Home Basic you can later buy and download the components to upgrade to say Home Premium or Ultimate.
  • Space GhostSpace Ghost Elite Ranger
    For all of the complaing people do about Microsoft I have never really had a problem with them, other than Windows ME (I had it for about a month). Since XP and even 98se (way back in the day) have never given me any serious problems, I can't complain. When I did call their tech support because of an issue, I talked to a very helpful lady who even sent me a follow-up e-mail. As someone who doesn't work with computers (other than basic functions and games), Windows has been very easy to use.
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    Most of my major complaints have started cropping up since XPSP2 came out. I was quite pleased with the base XP release, and still enjoy it a good deal. It is nearly perfect for my needs and runs quite reliably.

    The issue at hand is that microsoft is giving it their best (worst?) by trying to shove people forward and offering an upgraded OS that offers little practical benefit over XP (It was originally intended to be a far larger revamp of the Windows environment), while bogging it down with DRM and artificial handicaps.
  • SpiritOneSpiritOne Magneto ABQ NM
    well, the only thing that interests me at all, is the new gui. I forget what they are calling it, but it will be a fully 3d rendered desktop, no more 2d bitmaps, which is what winxp still uses.

    Vista is the first operating system requiring you to have a 3d card. However I will freely admitt that this sounds a lot like it will hog the shit out of your resrources.
  • PSI-KILLERPSI-KILLER Needs help
    There really is no benefits. It is just repackaging of older windows systems. A regurgitation of code. All the improvments could have easily been done in a SP3 or even a SP4. Hardware improvemnts are slowing down so no need for a whole new Baskin Robbins of windows... 31 flavors and counting.
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by SpiritOne [/i]
    [B]well, the only thing that interests me at all, is the new gui. I forget what they are calling it, but it will be a fully 3d rendered desktop, no more 2d bitmaps, which is what winxp still uses.[/b][/quote]

    You're thinking of Aero, and unfortunately that is not particularly advanced technology. Mac OS X has been doing similar for years, as have various experimental X servers for the *nix's. The next release of Ubuntu (due any day now) will include a fully-functional and definitely not experimental one from Novell ([url=http://www.freedesktop.org/~davidr/xgl-demo1.xvid.avi]pretty video[/url]). MS is playing catch-up with this more than anything else in Vista.

    [quote][b]Vista is the first operating system requiring you to have a 3d card.[/B][/QUOTE]

    No it isn't. You can run it without a 3D card just fine, it'll just drop back to the old 2D modes and you won't get any of the pretty-but-mostly-useless effects. It will benefit from a 3D card if you like t3h pr3tty, but it certainly doesn't require it.
  • croxiscroxis I am the walrus
    I personally turn off most pretty effects as they don't provide any utility and the visual enhancements arn't that stellar. If I was to get vista I would most likly turn off Aero after a short while unless my workflow is better in that interface.
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    I would very likely end up doing the same. I find that most of the "pretty" effects add up in the time it takes for them to present a useful interface, and really slow me down, or just cause frustration while waiting for an action that *should* be instantaneous.
  • Entil'ZhaEntil'Zha I see famous people
    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sanfam [/i]
    [B]I would very likely end up doing the same. I find that most of the "pretty" effects add up in the time it takes for them to present a useful interface, and really slow me down, or just cause frustration while waiting for an action that *should* be instantaneous. [/B][/QUOTE]


    I almos always turn off all the visual enhancements, XP runs much faster for me that way.
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    I tend to leave the fastest ones on (I can't stand ugly looking programs :)), but I always turn off ones that arn't almost instant or faster. I would never buy an entire OS just for how it looks.
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