Slashdot Mirror
Windows 7 To Come In Multiple Versions
Crazy Taco writes "Tom's Hardware reports on newly discovered screenshots that reveal Microsoft is planning to release their newest version of Windows in multiple confusing versions ... again. The information comes from the latest version of the Windows 7 beta, build 7025 (the public beta is build 7000), and shows a screen during installation that asks the user which version of the OS he or she would like to install. Who's up for guessing what the difference is between Windows 7 'Starter' and Windows 7 'Home Basic?'"
Vista in a not-so-shiny new wrapper.
Thankfully Ubuntu comes in only Ultimate Premium Super Starter edition. Oh, and Server. 32/64 bit variations of both.
But for the price difference, I can't complain.
When people ask me what the difference between Home and Business/Ultimate edition is, I tell them: "Whatever features you should have gotten in Home, but Microsoft figured was esoteric enough to charge for it, so that if you run into a deficiency at all, it will only be later when it's too late to return. Then they hope to rape you as you pay full retail upgrade price."
Some people have learned this with the ridiculous lack of UAC in XP Home (only in pro, absense of which causes much headaches security wise up to this day), and the now coming 32/64 bit debacle as people want to upgrade RAM but won't be able to. Microsoft allows some OEM copies to be upgraded to 64bit, but custom-builders and full retail customers are screwed if they started with 32 and want to move on up. So the customer who paid more initially gets treated worse. Unless it's Vista Ultimate. Then you get both copies, as it should be. Which Ubuntu (32/64bit) provides for free.
Since Windows 7 is Vista SP2, this situation is hardly surprising. I can only hope that Microsoft's greed lasts long enough for Ubutu/Linux and Apple to make a lasting dent in marketshare. I'd hate to go back to a nothing-but-windows world.
Hell, there are a lot of end users that don't know if they are currently running XP or Vista (but you can tell by complaints about performance LOL).
Considering Vista beats XP in benchmarks, I'm gonna assume you meant if they complain, they're running XP?
Please spread the word, Windows 7 should be called Vista2.
"Considering that a Windows DVD costs maybe $0.25 to produce, I suspect that without tiered pricing people would still be able to afford it."
Hey, if you know some programmers who are willing to work for a total $0.25 on a major project that follows my agenda rather than theirs I'd like to hire them.
Is everyone here fucking retarded? Theres a handful of versions. Two of them you can't buy - Enterprise (your IT staff will buy this for you, and presumably know how to read the basic damn features sheet) and Starter (which you can't get because you aren't in some shithole country).
That leaves 4 editions which are pretty clearly segregated by two decisions. Heres your damn lookup table:
Home shit (media center/shiny shit)? Home Premium
Business shit (domains/efs)? Business
Neither (cheapass): Home Basic
Both (greedy fuck): Ultimate
Seriously, if people can't work this out then they must be retarded. Then when you get your shiny new disk, it lets you pick 32/64bit if your usage is likely to need it. (ie: No, home basic users don't need 64bit bs).
3laws: No freebies, no backsies, GTFO.
My work just upgraded their Office suite to the latest from Redmond. It is unbelievable how badly everything operates. It literally takes an hour what used to take a 10-20 minutes. Just love that superbar of theirs.
As is always the case with Microsoft, the new product is far from improved.
Considering that Mac is gaining shares and making money in the middle of the Financial Crisis one might ask what they can bring to the table that no one else in the world can provide?
Just to be very clear about my personal opinions: Microsoft makes a good mouse. Other than that they are pretty much the Evil Empire. I like Mac because it's almost Linux but does a better job on the notebook than Linux has (for me).
Holy shit... Godwin in less than an hour after the story was posted. That must be some kind of record.
No you are looking at it in the wrong direction.
Ok, in plain English:
Assume X is the cost fo development
Assume P is intended profit
Now, assume C is the cost of Vista (with everything included)
Now C may be too much for some, so they sell Vista at DISCOUNTED price points A and B, with a DOWNGRADED feature set of C as a cost to the user for getting the discounts.
They may even sell it at a cheaper than C price point of D, on the condition that 100 licenses are sold to the same buyer.
As for the "cost" of disabling features, that is added to the cost of A and B.
As for the "savings of having one disc, no packaging, and multiple licenses is "passed to" D.
Finally the actual prices of A, B, C and D, is based on the sales from all items, subtracting cost to manufacture to get intended profit P.
Where marketing, competition or lack thereof, or future advantages are necessary, the equation may adjust any parameter.
Have a nice day!
Apparently it is okay on Tuesday for the EU to mandate multiple versions, but on Wednesday it is a crime if MS offers multiple versions.
Keep up the good work! We're that much closer to determining the speed of hypocrisy (currently somewhere between sound and light).