Vista will have 20 versions??

[matthew]

I didn't make this up...

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=26851

[YourSurrogateGod]

Well, since it's the Enquirer, I'll take it what they say with a grain of salt.

However, I thought that this part was absolutely hilarious.

The 365 flavours of UNIX? At last Microsoft is beginning to catch up.

[xequence]

I heard there will be 8.

Crazy stuff.

[Goober]

Umm, what is a "sku"? I know what it is for Inventory, since I work in a Retail Store, but what does "Stock Control Unit" mean?

[Zelut]

All I can say is with the improvements we've seen with Breezy I think Dapper just might give Vista a run for Bill's money! ...anywho, back to converting the MS legions ;)

[BWF89]

Including 20 versions of Vista just means that each version will be crippled in some way so that they can say that each version of the OS is created and targeted at a different audience. I think they should just go the Fedora way and put everything on 4 discs eventhough you only need the first 2 to setup a desktop.

[idn]

Yeha i heard 8 versions, which is stupid, there should be one CD and the user should be able to select on install what kind of system they want

[matthew]

Umm, what is a "sku"? I know what it is for Inventory, since I work in a Retail Store, but what does "Stock Control Unit" mean?
I believe it is a unique number assigned to a product for use by sales and inventory systems. So, this means that there are 20 unique numbers reserved for Windows Vista versions therefore implying that many different editions.

[benplaut]

I believe it is a unique number assigned to a product for use by sales and inventory systems. So, this means that there are 20 unique numbers reserved for Windows Vista versions therefore implying that many different editions.

yeah, well, the additional 12 are all symlinked back to the ones associated with the 8 versions, so just a little technicality...

[Goober]

I believe it is a unique number assigned to a product for use by sales and inventory systems. So, this means that there are 20 unique numbers reserved for Windows Vista versions therefore implying that many different editions.

Oh, so like WinXP Pro and WinXP Home were 2 different SKUs? How can you have 20 different versions? I could see maybe 5, a Home version, Professional, Server, maybe Office, but 20?!?!

[darkmatter]

I've personally read about 8 versions, and all are crippled (including the Professional) except for the Ultimate Edition. Anyone care to guess how deep your pockets will have to be?

[Goober]

Let me guess, the basic version won't include that new file-searching program, somethingFS or whatever the name is that I have heard so much about? We should do a poll to see how many Ubuntu users will buy Vista. That would produce some interesting results . . .

[drogoh]

I've personally read about 8 versions, and all are crippled (including the Professional) except for the Ultimate Edition. Anyone care to guess how deep your pockets will have to be?

That's how they have been with NT. Each "version" is just a few DLLs short of the next.

[websavages]

Let me guess, the basic version won't include that new file-searching program, somethingFS or whatever the name is that I have heard so much about? We should do a poll to see how many Ubuntu users will buy Vista. That would produce some interesting results . . .

I won't be, I didn't study economics at school but I do know that free is a lot better financially than big dollars. Plus if you had the spare cash would you really buy a wintel pc? I'd personally buy an apple, perhaps the defacto designer label of the computing world.

Cheers ws

[drizek]

I've personally read about 8 versions, and all are crippled (including the Professional) except for the Ultimate Edition. Anyone care to guess how deep your pockets will have to be?


pockets?

just how fat their networking cables are.

[Sirin]

Ok, I find this hard to actually believe.
20 different editions? Come on, now. If Microsoft actually did this, they would lose billions! You can see how picky people can be.

http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lesson12/boxes.gifhttp://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lesson12/boxes.gifhttp://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lesson12/boxes.gifhttp://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lesson12/boxes.gif http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lesson12/boxes.gif

That's how many DIFFERENT versions there would be (above). Heck, I also find 8 versions hard to believe, (8 software boxes below)

http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lesson12/boxes.gifhttp://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lesson12/boxes.gif

[Jeff Hunter]

Oh, so like WinXP Pro and WinXP Home were 2 different SKUs? How can you have 20 different versions? I could see maybe 5, a Home version, Professional, Server, maybe Office, but 20?!?!

Well, lets see how many that really adds up to:
XP Home (full install)
XP Home (Upgrade)
XP Home (OEM Version)
XP Home (W/Service Pack 2)
XP Pro (Full install)
XP Pro (Upgrade)...

Well, you get the picture. There are going to be at least three different SKU products for each individual variant, so if there is a Home, Pro and Server, thats nine already, and there could be all sorts of extra little development packages, such as Advanced Server, Media Center, Developer Edition, Gamer Edition, Grandma's Homebaked Edition, and Gratuitous Grubbing For More Money Edition.

All in all, it really isn't THAT hard to come up with why there might be 20 SKUs.

Anyway, that was my two cents. Now I think I will go to bed so I'm not late for my interview tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Jeff Hunter

"I am NOT a Nerd! I am a GEEK! Get it right!"

[Jeff Hunter]

I won't be, I didn't study economics at school but I do know that free is a lot better financially than big dollars. Plus if you had the spare cash would you really buy a wintel pc? I'd personally buy an apple, perhaps the defacto designer label of the computing world.

Cheers ws

Regretfully, I will be. However, this is for purely practical purposes. The bane of working in Computer Technology is that you have to keep sharp, and sometimes that means using something you don't like. Oh, well. I'll look at it as an investment.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Jeff Hunter

"I am NOT a Nerd! I am a GEEK! Get it right!"

[mcduck]

There was a link to a list of versions: http://bink.nu/Article5025.bink

Windows Vista Starter
Windows Vista Home Basic
Windows Vista Home Premium
Windows Vista Ultimate
Windows Vista Pro Standard/SB
Longhorn Enterprise Server (ADS)
Longhorn Enterprise Server - IA64
Longhorn Standard Server
Longhorn Datacenter Server
Windows Vista Pro Std/SB/Ent - VL Binding Service
Windows Vista Pro Std/SB/Ent - VLGeneric
Windows Vista Pro Std/SB/Ent - DMAK
Windows Vista Starter Digital Boost - OEM
Windows Vista Home Basic - OEM
Windows Vista Home Premium - OEM
Windows Vista Ultimate - OEM
Windows Vista Pro Standard/SB - OEM
Longhorn Enterprise Server - OEM
Windows Vista Home Basic N
Windows Vista Pro Standard N

..so updates aren't included. But what about the media center version? I was pretty sure that there would be couple of those too.

[Hobbsee]

hate to be picky, but you didnt mention XP home with service pack 1.

Come to think of it, is there a XP pro with SP2 as well?

[skirkpatrick]

That's how they have been with NT. Each "version" is just a few DLLs short of the next.


You mean a few DLLs short of a real OS? ;)

[Jeff Hunter]

..so updates aren't included. But what about the media center version? I was pretty sure that there would be couple of those too.
Well, XP didn't include the updates initially, either...more just to give an example. BTW, thanks for the list! Seems somewhat....unnessisary, somehow. Seems like it could be done with a couple of versions, one optimized for home, one for office, then a stripped down version with the option to install anything you need to customize it.

But, they don't pay me to come up with their grand schemes.


hate to be picky, but you didnt mention XP home with service pack 1.

Come to think of it, is there a XP pro with SP2 as well?

No, perfectly all right. And, yes, there was a Pro with SP2 packaged.

Anywho, I was just listing a few examples.

Jeff Hunter

"I am NOT a Nerd! I am a GEEK! Get it right!"