Windows 7 - HP says its netbooks will likely run three versions of Windows 7

HP says its netbooks will likely run three versions of Windows 7


In a vote of confidence for Windows 7's suitability for use on netbook PCs, Hewlett-Packard Co. said it will likely offer at least three different editions of the upcoming operating system on future models of its Mini netbooks. That includes the Professional and Home Premium editions, which Microsoft Corp. last week said will be the two primary versions of Windows 7, and the low-end Starter edition, which will limit users to running three applications at a time.
Kyle Thornton, category manager for business notebook PCs at HP, said in an interview late last week that the vendor also has been testing the beta version of Windows 7 Ultimate — an edition aimed at gamers and PC enthusiasts — on the Mini netbook line.

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HP says its netbooks will likely run three versions of Windows 7

I can't believe this starter/3 apps thing? Crazy??

Not really. I have Windows 7 beta on my netbook and, trust me, you wouldn't want more than three applications open at a time anyway. I normally max out at two. A timy screen and a 1.2 processor is not aimed at intense multitasking.

I can understand your feelings Three apps does seem very restrictive

Interesting point, good to hear an opinion from a netbook user,

the viability of this SKU will I think depend on exactly what the system classes as an application, A word processor, Browser, and email client would be a lot more use than a browser and two windows included apps - Calc, Notepad, etc

Yeah I can agree with that one. My netbook runs at a pokey 1.6ghz with 1gb ram. It is great for portability but lacks at multitasking and I would not think of any gaming beyond solitaire. The keyboard is pretty easy to use and it runs my apps just fine, but not lots of 'em at once. I'd like to put Windows 7 on it just to try it out but have no way to restore XP if something were to happen. There is no optical drive so any install is a bit more difficult.