5 ms·

Finally, they're consolidating all their incoherent branding nonsense. As a PC user I'm wasn't sure of how much more of this I could take. "Windows Live Office

Finally, they're consolidating all their incoherent branding nonsense. As a PC user I'm wasn't sure of how much more of this I could take. "Windows Live Office Live for Games for Windows Live. Lets not talk about the "Windows Update" & "Microsoft Update" or "Windows 7 Starter", "Windows 7 Home Basic", "Windows 7 Home Premium", "Windows 7 Professional", "Windows 7 Enterprise", "Windows 7 Ultimate". Office Live, Live.com, Windows Live, Games for Windows Live, Windows Live Mail. It's like they have a whole department at Microsoft dedicated to making as many brands out of the words "Windows" and "Live". Finally, I can tell my mom to just open up "Mail", or go to the "Calendar" instead of "Outlook Express" or "Windows Live Mail". Oh I forgot, I got sick of MS's multiple personality disorder and got my family Gmail accounts.

freehunter 15y ago
The various versions of Windows are actually very important. I haven't heard news if they're going to be continuing multiple products in Windows 8. Windows has a very broad reach. It's on a lot of computers, used in very different ways, and Windows 7 naming is quite easy to understand. Windows 7 Starter is not sold in stores but rather preloaded on netbooks and low performance devices. This is how Windows 8 on ARM will be. Windows 7 Home Basic is a version of Windows 7 that is only generally available in emerging markets. It has geographic limitations on activation. I don't think you would find it on the shelf in the US. Windows 7 Home Premium is what the consumer sees on the shelf in the store, or on their computer from Best Buy. It's Windows for "home". Windows 7 Professional is for professionals to use on their work computer. Businesses use it. It adds the ability to sign onto a domain, software restrictions, EFS, etc. Home Premium and Professional are the only two you should see on store shelves or preinstalled. Windows 7 Enterprise is only available if you have an enterprise contract with Microsoft. You buy it through volume licensing. Windows 7 Ultimate is fairly restricted in its distribution. The only way for a normal user to know about or get Ultimate is an Anytime Upgrade, for a fee. It's Windows 7 Enterprise with individual licensing. Each serves its purpose, and they're not all easily combined in features or hardware requirements. There should be no confusion amongst the public on which Windows 7 version is meant for them unless whoever does their tech support intentionally tries to confuse them.
- unexpected 15y ago
  Why does it have to be like this? Why the distinction between Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise? If Windows 7 Ultimate is the same thing sa Windows 7 Enterprise? Why the distinction? Window 95 was just...windows 95. Windows XP was simply "professional" and "home". 99% of people (including work people) use their computers for checking their email, surfing the internet, using office, and playing media - this is why other companies (Google, Apple) are kicking ass and stealing MS's "home" customers. The pervasive MS integration with everything is MS's only defense on the corporate enterprise. Their advantage in the home market is eroding. People just don't need to buy PC's any more.
  - freehunter 15y ago
    >Why does it have to be like this? Why the distinction between Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise? Windows Enterprise is volume licensed. Windows Professional is individually licensed. Enterprise also has BitLocker and UNIX support. Again, I don't see where the confusion should lie for the user. Consumers shouldn't even be aware that Enterprise exists, or that there are differences. No consumer is ever going to even have the chance to purchase Enterprise. >Window 95 was just...windows 95. Windows XP was simply "professional" and "home". Not true. Windows 95 had a couple editions. The two consumer-facing editions were Windows 95 and Microsoft PLUS! for Windows 95. There were a handful of other versions that were only sold preinstalled on computers. Fun fact, if you bought "Windows 95", you didn't get USB support. Only available in Windows 95b aka Windows 95 OSR2.1 Windows XP had a Starter edition for emerging markets. It had Media Center Edition which featured a new interface and WMC (along with DVR support). Tablet PC edition included touch screen software. There was also 64-bit edition, which may as well have been its own OS, since 64-bit support was not fully realized by all the existing software and drivers. That fact that you didn't know these other editions existed goes to show you're blowing the whole thing out of the water for Windows 7. The point of their existence is to provide for what you are alluding to as the "other 1%" (which is actually a much, much larger percent and makes Microsoft a huge amount of money). The niche cases and the business requirements are satisfied with the niche Windows products and the business-oriented Windows products. Apple and Google have no presence in the corporate OS world because they offer nothing to compete. "One size fits all" generally doesn't, and there's money to be made outside of that.

freehunter 15y ago

The various versions of Windows are actually very important. I haven't heard news if they're going to be continuing multiple products in Windows 8. Windows has a very broad reach. It's on a lot of computers, used in very different ways, and Windows 7 naming is quite easy to understand. Windows 7 Starter is not sold in stores but rather preloaded on netbooks and low performance devices. This is how Windows 8 on ARM will be. Windows 7 Home Basic is a version of Windows 7 that is only generally available in emerging markets. It has geographic limitations on activation. I don't think you would find it on the shelf in the US. Windows 7 Home Premium is what the consumer sees on the shelf in the store, or on their computer from Best Buy. It's Windows for "home". Windows 7 Professional is for professionals to use on their work computer. Businesses use it. It adds the ability to sign onto a domain, software restrictions, EFS, etc. Home Premium and Professional are the only two you should see on store shelves or preinstalled. Windows 7 Enterprise is only available if you have an enterprise contract with Microsoft. You buy it through volume licensing. Windows 7 Ultimate is fairly restricted in its distribution. The only way for a normal user to know about or get Ultimate is an Anytime Upgrade, for a fee. It's Windows 7 Enterprise with individual licensing. Each serves its purpose, and they're not all easily combined in features or hardware requirements. There should be no confusion amongst the public on which Windows 7 version is meant for them unless whoever does their tech support intentionally tries to confuse them.

unexpected 15y ago
Why does it have to be like this? Why the distinction between Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise? If Windows 7 Ultimate is the same thing sa Windows 7 Enterprise? Why the distinction? Window 95 was just...windows 95. Windows XP was simply "professional" and "home". 99% of people (including work people) use their computers for checking their email, surfing the internet, using office, and playing media - this is why other companies (Google, Apple) are kicking ass and stealing MS's "home" customers. The pervasive MS integration with everything is MS's only defense on the corporate enterprise. Their advantage in the home market is eroding. People just don't need to buy PC's any more.
- freehunter 15y ago
  >Why does it have to be like this? Why the distinction between Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise? Windows Enterprise is volume licensed. Windows Professional is individually licensed. Enterprise also has BitLocker and UNIX support. Again, I don't see where the confusion should lie for the user. Consumers shouldn't even be aware that Enterprise exists, or that there are differences. No consumer is ever going to even have the chance to purchase Enterprise. >Window 95 was just...windows 95. Windows XP was simply "professional" and "home". Not true. Windows 95 had a couple editions. The two consumer-facing editions were Windows 95 and Microsoft PLUS! for Windows 95. There were a handful of other versions that were only sold preinstalled on computers. Fun fact, if you bought "Windows 95", you didn't get USB support. Only available in Windows 95b aka Windows 95 OSR2.1 Windows XP had a Starter edition for emerging markets. It had Media Center Edition which featured a new interface and WMC (along with DVR support). Tablet PC edition included touch screen software. There was also 64-bit edition, which may as well have been its own OS, since 64-bit support was not fully realized by all the existing software and drivers. That fact that you didn't know these other editions existed goes to show you're blowing the whole thing out of the water for Windows 7. The point of their existence is to provide for what you are alluding to as the "other 1%" (which is actually a much, much larger percent and makes Microsoft a huge amount of money). The niche cases and the business requirements are satisfied with the niche Windows products and the business-oriented Windows products. Apple and Google have no presence in the corporate OS world because they offer nothing to compete. "One size fits all" generally doesn't, and there's money to be made outside of that.