[Felix Torres]

Originally Posted by gt24

There is also a "Secure Startup" option (security related?!) that is only in the top business edition and Uber edition... certainly not Home Pro... but I don't think this will be a great loss, but this is most likely why Uber will be considered more secure.

Ultimate edition WILL NOT REQUIRE ACTIVATION! Seems like Microsoft learned to use that "feature" as a carrot... and it is ironic how a feature designed to limit piracy is waved away for a premium price.


</edit>

Secure Startup is the first implementation of the one-time "Palladium" Hardware-based Security features. It is a corporate-level security feature chances are you would never choose to put it on your personal computer.

Activation? Nothing new here, y'know...
XP Pro has *always* been available in three forms:
- Retail, which always needed activation
- Enterprise, which never requires activation because it uses specific license keys per corporate account
- OEM, which varies by vendor but tends towards activation

With the new matrix, most of the business editions of Vista will be delivered under corporate contract *or* come directly installed and linked to the very hardware they are purchased with, (there may not be a retail version) hence no need for activation. This is the same *existing* motherboard tech that Apple will be borrowing to insure OSX/96 only runs on Apple-tweaked motherboards, btw.

Now, how the Ultimate Edition handles activation is unclear (it *is* a year away, guys!) but a lot of the copies will likely be purchased with new hardware *and* since the motherboard-based security features will be built-in all intel-based mobos since before Vista ships (some already have it today) the hardware-based security will directly tie the ultimate edition to a specific mobo, and likely make activation moot.

In other words, you get the same effect through different means. :-)

And since the home editions won't necessarily support hardware-based security, they still need activation. Nothing unusual, really.
Unless you didn't know that Intel chipsets already come with hardware-based security features...

[Felix Torres]

Originally Posted by gt24

There is also a "Secure Startup" option (security related?!) that is only in the top business edition and Uber edition... certainly not Home Pro... but I don't think this will be a great loss, but this is most likely why Uber will be considered more secure.

Ultimate edition WILL NOT REQUIRE ACTIVATION! Seems like Microsoft learned to use that "feature" as a carrot... and it is ironic how a feature designed to limit piracy is waved away for a premium price.


</edit>

Secure Startup is the first implementation of the one-time "Palladium" Hardware-based Security features. It is a corporate-level security feature chances are you would never choose to put it on your personal computer.

Activation? Nothing new here, y'know...
XP Pro has *always* been available in three forms:
- Retail, which always needed activation
- Enterprise, which never requires activation because it uses specific license keys per corporate account
- OEM, which varies by vendor but tends towards activation

With the new matrix, most of the business editions of Vista will be delivered under corporate contract *or* come directly installed and linked to the very hardware they are purchased with, (there may not be a retail version) hence no need for activation. This is the same *existing* motherboard tech that Apple will be borrowing to insure OSX/96 only runs on Apple-tweaked motherboards, btw.

Now, how the Ultimate Edition handles activation is unclear (it *is* a year away, guys!) but a lot of the copies will likely be purchased with new hardware *and* since the motherboard-based security features will be built-in all intel-based mobos since before Vista ships (some already have it today) the hardware-based security will directly tie the ultimate edition to a specific mobo, and likely make activation moot.

In other words, you get the same effect through different means. :-)

And since the home editions won't necessarily support hardware-based security, they still need activation. Nothing unusual, really.
Unless you didn't know that Intel chipsets already come with hardware-based security features...

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by gt24

HOWEVER, other people in related departments at the location where I needed to forward my schedule want it faxed in. Now, am I gonig to try to hunt down a fax machine to fax in something that I need to print from my computer right when I need something turned in ASAP, or would I have just used the fax wizard in Windows? Vista made that decision for me if I choose the wrong flavor.

I see your point, but by the same token, how many computers even come with fax modems anymore? I haven't had a modem in my desktop PCs for years and years...my laptops still have them but I think those will fade away eventually as well (though it will take longer).

There are always free/cheap 3rd party solutions:
http://www.rkssoftware.com/mightyfax/overview.html

Ultimately given the number of people that still fax from their PCs, this will probably not cause many alarm bells in the general computer-using populace.