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Microsoft Vista Info Leaked
slashnutt writes to tell us Yahoo News is reporting that Microsoft accidentally released information about Windows Vista earlier than originally planned. From the article: "Microsoft disclosed information about a plan to release eight different editions of the new operating system on a company help page that was under development. The company has not made any official statements about the different versions of Windows Vista it plans to offer. The company has since taken down the Web site and declined to confirm the information and said it will offer more details about the Vista launch, targeted for the second half of 2006, in the coming weeks. Microsoft spokesman said in a statement 'This page has since been removed as it was posted prematurely and was for testing purposes only.'"
Windows Vista Starter (designed to combat piracy of Windows overseas; probably won't go on sale in US)
Windows Vista Home Basic
Windows Vista Home Premium
Windows Vista Business Basic
Windows Vista Business Premium
Windows Vista Corporate Basic
Windows Vista Corporate Premium
Windows Vista Ultimate
While I'd really like to believe otherwise, I cannot help but think that this will turn into a nightmare for application support. The ones that worry the most are the two at either end of the line: Starter and Ultimate. Will you need Ultimate to run top-of-the-line games or use top-of-the-line hardware? Will people with Starter not be able to use your program because they're missing certain functionality? Will you be able to burn DVDs with Home Basic, or does that functionality only come with Premium and Ultimate?
Sure, each version will be tailored to that particular end user's most likely needs. You can bet, however, that there'll be all sorts of "incentives" to bump yourself up to the next level of functionality in the form of "well, that functionality only comes with version X"...
Obliteracy: Words with explosions
With its thousands and thousands of "versions" (distributions).
I'll take eight, over eight-thousand.
Modesty is one of life's greatest attributes
'This page has since been removed as it was posted prematurely and was for testing purposes only.'"
Testing what, the waters?
-- Alastair
This is a false choice though. Artificially created to give the illusion of choice.
You're just deciding on how crippled you want your OS to be. Choice would be asking the user at install "which of the following apps do you want installed?"
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"
- Charles Darwin
4) Whoever pirates Windows will follow whatever is the most popular/compatible OS.
Just as all of the leechers out there wanted XP Pro, they're going to want Vista Ultimate Edition. Seriously, how many pirates do you know who really wanted XP Home on their boxes?
You don't know that. When I used to develop databases, I would fill the test databases with dummy data. Sometimes it was complete nonsense utterly unrelated to the purpose of the database (and obviously incorrect--e.g., a customer list database could contain names of characters from a TV show). Sometimes, I would fill the test database with information that was my "best guess" as to what would be in the database. E.g., one may fill a products database with their best guess of what the names of the products are. That could easily be the case here. The web designer filled in dummy data to make sure the layout of the page is correct.
And I've got a bridge you really need to look at.
Seriously, Voxel even specified "distributions". You are discussing kernel versions a completely different topic.
Jesus Fucking Christ man. Don't be such a zealot that you can't comprehend a valid point in opposition to your cherished perspective.
anon so the fan boys don't slit my karma's throat
(;-{)}
bamph
It appears you have never heard of the paradox of choice.
In a nutshell, too many choices often lead to a inability to decide. It is the same reason people take so long to decide on an ice-cream flavor at Baskin-Robbins or on a dish from a chinese carry-out menu: too many choices. Most people simply don't want to think too hard when making a purchase, so it's a good idea for companies to make the range of choices as few and distinct as possible.
Here is an excerpt from the book.
just a ghost in the machine.
Jesus fucking christ, don't be so ignorant. The only limitation to a Linux installation is the kernel. Anything else can be added without even rebooting.
But that's besides the point. The point is that there is no company or other entity telling someone what they can and can't do with their Linux installation just because they didn't pay enough money. Unlike this case with Windows where people will have to make trade offs between how much they want to spend and what they want to do with their OS.
So complaining and comparing the many Linux distros to these 8 Windows versions is fucking retarded. I can choose any of the top 8 Linux distros and be able to do anything in the Linux world easily.
But if I choose the budget version of Windows and find that it won't let me do something, well then I'm shit out of luck.
Didn't it occur to anyone that Microsoft wanted this information to get out so that they could see what the reaction of the marketplace would be? My guess is there is will 4-6 versions of Vista max (Starter, Home, Pro, Europe, Ultimate, and possibly Media).
The 'N' versions of Windows (Europe-only) will be simply ignored by the vast majority of buyers and retailers. Some retailers (maybe most) will not even stock the 'N' versions. Source:
Vista Enterprise Edition will only be available through volume licensing, so retail buyers won't see this version either. The IT folks who can buy Enterprise Edition are knowledgable enough not to be confused.So far, that leaves:
Since Vista Ultimate Edition is probably only for the uber-geek, most retail buyers will probably only need to choose from three versions: (1) Home Basic, (2) Home Premium, and (3) Business. For buyers of Windows PCs, that choice is similar today: XP Home, XP Media Center Edition, and XP Pro.TO START
PRESS ANY KEY
Where's the 'ANY' key? I see Esk, Kitarl, and Pig-Up...
Well, what you say is more understandable. But still, it doesn't take much research to learn that if you need to pick a distro for a company you can't really go wrong with Redhat or SUSE.
But really, saying that there's too many Linux distros isn't what gets zealots like me all in a knot. What is really irritating about these Windows versions is that capability was taken out of some versions on purpose. Instead of making the product better, some "developers" have been paid to actaully make the product worse. Such insanity would never happen in the open source world. If I pick the 'wrong' distro at least it's functionality isn't being limited on purpose.
What does that mean? It's true that code compiled on one distro may not run on another distro--but then again it might (though certainly not between architectures). I've often found it does. But it depends on things like the relevant libs being the same or similar (or there at all), things being in places where the compiled code expects to find them, etc. It certainly is a crapshoot.
But one of the things I like about a (typical) Linux-based OS is that if all else fails, one can just grab a tarball of the source and compile away. The tools are already there, if not easily available. That is true for pretty much any standard "distro". I rather doubt that will be true of most, if any, of the various flavors of Vista, assuming that's how it is released.
It is true that to compile for one distro or another, one might need to pass a couple flags to ./configure or make a change or to to the makefile or something similar. These aren't things any newbie rolling off the turnip truck is going to know, but in most cases that doesn't matter, since most major distros have plenty of ready-made, packaged apps for their fan^Wuser base. It's very nice to have the additional capability (without jumping through major hoops), though. And IMO the ready availability of source is one of the really nice effects of the whole Open Source/Free Software thing.
fD
There are always trade-offs.
Red Hat dropped out of the consumer market. Linspire is anchored there.
The uber-Geek might be able to bend any randomly chosen Linux distro to his will. The reality is that most of us have to make choices.
Choices in hardware. Choices in software. Choices in technical support.
Time and money.
I did read that not all of the versions will have a Corp equivalent for the pirates. Ultimate definatly won't. I have faith in the pirates however. They are, as that saying goes, like a million bank robbers all trying to break into the same vault at the same time from the comfort of their own homes. There is something to be said for that kind of manpower.
SLOW adoption. Even slower than WindowsXP. But in the end, as long as the industry chokehold lasts, people will buy the hardware so they can run the software because at some point there will be no choice. But let me tell you -- people are really starting to notice. Businesses are really starting to resent. At my company, we have an ambiguous goal to get off of Microsoft software. Server stuff is easy, but the desktop is simply unimaginable at the moment. But when the budgets start being examined after the question of replacing thousands of desktops is raised, they'll weigh their options once again and likely put more effort into a Linux desktop standard. I know my company isn't alone.
"Leak" a "test" website, and gauge the potential customer response.
Quite clever.
http://pcblues.com - Digits and Wood
Its chosen for them, by the whoever sold them the PC.
So if Dell chooses to go with Home Premium, or whatever its called, then thats what ~70% of the people who buy Dell will use. Chances are, with no questions asked.
"do you think that is also unfair that one must pay more for a nicer car over a basic car? They both get you from point A to point B, but one has more amenities that some people want."
Yes, you are right. But what about distros like Mepis? or Lindows (R.I.P)?
Mepis comes with hundreds of apps and games and utilities, ready to run.
The point here is also marketing. Microsoft are good at that. Its imaginable that Apple's OS is heading towards competing with Windows. There are also a few distros of that too.
Historically, Microsoft have been against piracy from the start. They have cleverly engineered old VLMs out of the registration-activation-update processes, they support FULL DRM and will in the future pursue technologies to defeat piracy.
I for one, welcome the 8 versions of Vista!
There are so many 'users' out there that find computers complicated, that a simple operating system is all they want, visually, minimum options, easy to navigate, install and run apps.
The first OS that can do that will be very popular with many people, including Linnux GUI, Apple OS for Intel etc.
Don't be apathetic. Procrastinate!