Vista Versions Not So Confusing After All

[Spinner]

When the rumors of Windows Vista versions first began flying several months ago, there were many complaints about the potential for mass confusion among Windows consumers. Now that the official announcement is out, those fears seem overblown.

Set aside the Starter version, which is designed for use on cheap PCs in emerging markets (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, Brazil, India, and many more) and won’t be sold in the U.S., Europe, and other major markets. Forget about the N versions, too - those are the Media Player-free versions the European Commission required Microsoft to make available to OEMs as part of its antitrust decree, and they’ve been a spectacular flop in the marketplace.

With those oddballs out of the way, the mix of Windows Vista products is down to a mere five. Not eight, seven, or even six. Five. Retail customers have four choices:
...
The biggest change of all? One retail DVD includes all four versions. The product key, which is entered at the beginning of the installation process, determines which version gets installed. That’s potentially very good news for retail customers, who should be able to use any Windows Vista media to reinstall the operating system (provided they haven’t lost the product key).
Source: ZDNet (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=12)

[Lincoln]

Oh. Well that was anti-climatic, now wasn't it? :)

[QCH]

I am VERY happy. Makes my job of modifing the install CD's much easier. One CD with that can cover all the nessecary versions!!!

[jradmin]

Gonna make it alot easier to get illegal copies to in my opinion if Microsoft hasn't learned anything from 2k/XP.

[Cyclonite]

Gonna make it alot easier to get illegal copies to in my opinion if Microsoft hasn't learned anything from 2k/XP.

If someone wants to get their hands on a pirated copy of software, most of the time, it's not very hard. Whether MS does it this way or not, someone who wants the software will get it.

I think the single DVD idea is great! It will make my job easier, since I won't have to go hunting for all the different versions for reinstalls when one of our 200+ machines gets fubar.

Now, if only they'd figur eout a way to do this with Office.

[GHoosdum]

I really like the single DVD approach. I converted my MSDN subscription over to DVD, and the XP DVD that ships contains Home, Pro, MCE 2005, x64 Edition, and Tablet PC edition. In this case, you choose from a menu which to install rather than by product key, but I love having only one DVD necessary for all the versions.