News: Software for Small Business

Six Degrees of Vista

Microsoft's Upgrade to Windows XP Coming Soon...

by Keith R. Wheeler

3/2/2006

Microsoft has announced the different versions of the forthcoming Windows Vista operating system. Under the current Windows XP system, the offerings are Home, Professional, Media Center, TabletPC and x64. With respect to Vista, Microsoft is offering two consumer versions, rather than one: Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium. The Basic version targets the budget user and doesn’t include the Aero interface – the enhanced graphical interface set to debut with the Vista platform. The Premium version offers the high-end home user access to new features such as an HD-TV interface as well as the ability to author DVD’s. This version seems to be similar to the current Windows XP Media Edition. For the business set, Microsoft is readying two flavors of Windows Vista. The effective replacement for Windows XP Pro is Microsoft Windows Vista Business. Unlike the Home editions, Vista Business will be able to connect to a domain on a Windows server to access network resources. Vista Business will be the primary upgrade for small business users. Vista Business also includes support for TabletPC’s. The second flavor of Vista that pertains to office installations is Vista Enterprise. Naturally, this is really targeted for the larger businesses. The primary differences between Enterprise and Business are the inclusion of Microsoft Virtual PC along with additional language support. A new version of Windows Vista will be called the Starter version. This is Microsoft’s attempt to reduce the piracy issue overseas. The software will be limited in that it will only run three programs simultaneously and will only run on 32-bit processors. Finally, the sixth and last version set for the American market, will be Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate also known as Vista, Kitchen Sink version. Ultimate has everything from every version except for the restrictions and the extra features present on Vista Enterprise all in one package. In addition, it appears that there may be additional features included in Ultimate relating to podcasts, gaming, multimedia, and online services. Small business will find the Vista Business product the most likely upgrade choice. Just as Windows XP Pro is required to be able to access a Windows Server, Vista Business can connect to a Windows domain controller. While the Enterprise version also has full networking capabilities, it will likely be too costly for small business without offering enough features to justify that cost. At the same time, Vista Ultimate can access networks. Its feature set is so long, it would take a very serious computer to be able to run it efficiently. Besides, most small businesses look for lower costs which point straight to Windows Vista Business.