"Windows XP choices were really straight forward. Now there are 17 editions of Windows Vista. What will you choose?

This article gives an overview of the features particular to certain versions and some advice on choosing the right edition for you."

Wow...I thought that there were only 4.
Can't wait to install Home Premium on the Super P3. :-)

Good article; till just a couple seconds ago I thought that the Media Center stuff was only available on the ultimate edition. What a pleasant surprise!

My Super P3:
Pentium III-S 1.4GHz @ 1.5GHz, 512K L2
X800XT All-in-wonder, overclocked to 580/600.
250GB HD
2 gigs of PC2100 RAM
QDI Advance 12 mobo, this baby rocks!
SB Audigy 2

You betcha!

My speculation has always been that Vista "Home Basic" should meet the needs of about 75% of all home users or the folks currently running XP Home.

And "Home Premium" being much like XP Pro on the Vista side, should satisfy most (if not) the rest of home users.

My buddy saber - sorry to say that Fiona Gatt disagree with you:

in a nutshell, avoid Home Basic unless it's for a really un-tech savy grandmother. Even then, stop being stingy and cough up the extra $40 for Home Premium instead - the feature set is far more impressive. Besides, your granny wouldn't even get the free games or the lovely Aero UI with Home Basic, so be nice and pay the extra $40!

i_XpUser

Strategically, Home Basic is arguably the edition of Windows Vista designed pretty much for users with the basic computing needs and quoting M$:

"It is easy to set up, it helps you use your PC more securely and reliably, and like all of the editions of Windows Vista, it is compatible with the widest range of software, devices, and services that you use and trust.

If you simply want to use your PC for tasks such as surfing the Internet, corresponding with friends and family using e-mail, or performing basic document creation and editing tasks, then Windows Vista Home Basic will deliver a safer, more reliable, and more productive computing environment."

So I think it's safe & only natural to assume this is where more than half of the people currently running XP Home fall into - else M$ would not have spliced Vista "Home" into Basic & Premium IMHO ;-)

And being offered at a suggested retail price of $199.00 for full package & $99.95 for the upgrade package, it is not hard to imagine current XP home users as the primary target market.

I can see where you're coming from but the bottom line is how M$ priced the versions.

My heart bleeds for those who don't know the difference and who have no way to recogniuze that it all boils down to what I call "vista pricing caveat emptor."

i_XpUser

I've already made my choice. WinXP Pro SP2...lol

Me too :-) I'm very contended with what I have. Vista OS is not innovative. Maybe the next Windows will be - who knows.

i_XpUser

Ultimate all the way for me

all other versions are merely crippleware which they can shove where the sun don't shine :-)

Today's subliminal thought is: 'Calm down ... it's only ones and zeros.'