09-12-2005, 12:19 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Windows Vista Version Information Released
"Two days before the start of Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2005, I've received exclusive insider information about the product editions, or SKUs, which Microsoft intends to create for Windows Vista (codenamed Longhorn). While the exact breakdown of the Windows Vista editions has been the subject of much speculation, this list closely matches the editions list I first published on the SuperSite for Windows last year. Here's how the Windows Vista product editions break down. There will be two general categories of Windows Vista editions, which map closely to the two that exist today for XP ("Home," which comprises Starter, Home, and Media Center Editions, Pro, which includes Professional, Professional x64, and Tablet PC Editions). In Windows Vista, the two categories are Home and Business. In the Home category, Microsoft will create four product editions: Windows Vista Starter Edition, Windows Vista Home Basic Edition, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition (previously known as "Uber" Edition). In the Business category, there will are three editions: Windows Vista Small Business Edition, Windows Vista Professional Edition, and Windows Vista Enterprise Edition. In all, there are 7 product editions planned for Windows Vista."
That's a whole lotta' Vista! 8O Windows Vista Home Premium Edition sounds like it would be the best for most people, then I noticed that it was missing Remote Desktop, which I use a fair bit. So, unsurprisingly, the Ultimate Edition is what I'll likely go for. I'll be curious to see how the price points work, especially in relation to multiple licenses in the home. If Microsoft doesn't come up with a plan similar to Apple's "five home licenses for $199 USD" offering, I predict Vista will have a very hard time getting into homes that are already running XP on multiple computers. It's just too expensive to ask the average family to drop $800 on getting five new copies of Vista.
I found the inclusion of "DVD ripping" in the Vista Home Premium Edition downright shocking - how can they possibly get past the DCMA which states that any software that cracks the DeCSS encryption on DVDs is illegal? Has Microsoft found some loophole, or have they managed to come to some agreement with the major movie studios? Even if they did, surely they can't flaunt the law as it stands on the books now. This is fantastic news if true, because it would allow consumers to get content from their DVDs onto their video players. I've tried many different DVD rippers, and they've all been too esoteric and/or unreliable for me to use regularly.
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