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I don't understand what all the fuss over multiple editions is about, use the version you like and let others do the same, to each their own.
Later Ted
Read MorePeople love to pick on Microsoft, and often rightly so. The software giant is directly responsible for numerous security holes, endless patching, Bob, Clippy, and Windows Vista. It is so easy and fun to pick on Microsoft that people often simply parrot whatever criticisms seem to be in vogue. But one criticism I'm just plain tired of hearing is how Microsoft should pare down Windows to just one edition.
Let’s review our choices:
Windows 7 Starter: Great for netbooks and older systems that will never act as a DVR and don't need to join an Active Directory domain. It's a bummer that it lacks Aero and Touch, but what do you expect for something that tacks on a paltry $15 to the price of the hardware. Your netbook probably won't have a touch-screen or decent graphics chip anyway.
Windows 7 Basic: For “emerging markets” which means you'll only see it on an internet café computer somewhere in Laos.
Windows 7 Home Premium: This edition of Windows has existed for years, but used to be called Media Center Edition (MCE) in the XP days. This is what to use if you want to be able to hook your computer up to your TV to use as a DVR and media hub. Virtually all home computers and non-business laptops will run this.
Windows 7 Professional: Basically the same as Home Premium, but adds Active Directory domain membership support. This is the edition that will come with most office computers.
Windows 7 Enterprise: It doesn't matter what this has because you'll never see it unless you're given a computer from a large corporation. (It adds booting from a virtual drive and BitLocker encryption to the Business edition.)
Windows 7 Ultimate: This is for the person who also bought an “Extreme Edition” CPU and cannot stand the thought that somehow, someone out there might have something better than him. Microsoft deserves the opportunity to milk all the money they can from this kind of user.
In reality, people will almost never make a decision on which version of Windows to buy. They'll just use what came on their machine, which makes all of this clamor about the number of options available little more than unhelpful noise.
[digg]https://www.sevenforums.com/news/13056-six-editions-windows-7-whats-all-whining.html[/digg]
I don't understand what all the fuss over multiple editions is about, use the version you like and let others do the same, to each their own.
Later Ted
Guilty as charged, I have an Extreme Edition CPU because, well, I have to have the best. Guess I'm an Ultimate shoe-in.
Is it me , I can only see 5 editions.??
It must be this one that was hiding.
Windows 7 Home Premium:
Anyway I will be using Ultimate.
When all the dust settles there will be basically two versions of Windows 7 available.
Windows 7 Home premium & Windows 7 Professional, with a third, Ultimate available on a limited basis, for those who need enterprise features, (or "the Best" ), such as small business users who are not of a size to benefit from enterprise licensing.
The Starter, Basic, and Enterprise versions are Specialized products which you are not going to see in your local PC store.
Whereas I can see the logic behind both Home and Business under the Vista Model, ( where both versions were different subsets of the whole). Under the new model where Professional contains everything in Home Premium, I feel that one version could have been provided. This would I feel remove a certain amount of frustration for HP users such as the lack of Fax and group policy management in Vista HP
The extra complication is of course the provision of X86 & x64 which hopefully will both be provided with Home Premium, Professional & Ultimate/Enterprise
Unfortunately after saying this I do fear that we may see the starter and basic versions on lower end Laptops/Netbooks where these are built down to a price, especially in the current economic climate.
Last edited by Barman58; 13 Jun 2009 at 04:51. Reason: Added last Paragraph
so mmmmm i bet i'll go for professional if it's like the home premium. i don't need tons of options i'll never use.
When Vista came out the Ultimate edition was sold out in a heart beat! I ended up with the Home Premium lacking shadow copying and a few other things that will likely be needed here sooner or later.