[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Windows 7 to Ship In Five Different Versions here

[GetReal]

Still the same marketing mindset as Vista, AKA, confusion! Plus I don't see any version or comments in the article that indicates a "bare bones" version without all the splash & irritation of "default" apps that I don't want!

[TechieXP]

Well I understand them. But I do agree MSFT doesn't need so Many. All thay need is 4. Basic for low-end systems, Premium for Mid/High Ranged, Professional for High-end to Business and Enterprise for Business Only. THe ultimate would basically be the Enterprise one as it has feature for that even now. No one likes Basic which is what teh lawsuite is really about. Cheapos trying to buy a lowcost pc wanted to upgrade to Vista Premium and they only qualified for Basic. Yet the sticker says it can run any version of Vista. And it can, but there will be some limiatations. Those same limitations are going to exist with 7. And for thos who didn't learn a lesson last time will simply complain again this time.

If numbers are better I'd say this. If your system can't be upgraded to have a 1.5Ghz Single Core CPU and 2GB of ram, then you shouldn't try to use anything but a Basic/Starter version. If you have a dualcore 1.6 or better and can have 2GB of ram or more then you can use Home Basic, or Premium and you must hjave a dedicated graphics solution if you want to use Aero Glass, If you have Intels new x3100 you can use Aero. Anything less don't. I gave ytou fair warning.

Since Professional and Enterprise and Ultimate have extended features then you definitely need more ram. 4GB at teh least. a 2.0Ghz CPU or better as Dual or Quadcore would be strongly recommended. Don't use anything lest then a dedicated graphics card and if you ahve 4GB of ra or more then you must get a x64 bit of teh OS. But the cost for x64 should be the same as for x32. But numbers aren't everything, and that is just a general scope. THose with laptops really need to pay more attention. There is a difference between Pentium M and Centrino. Pentium M is teh mobile version of the original single core Pentium 4. Most don't exceed 1.5GHz. Centrino has builtin Wifi which is built onto the CPU. As far as power this is a Pentium Class CPU. They also come in Single ad Dualcore. Pentium M if I am not msiatken does not come in Dualcore. This is before dualcore was released. For desktops, if you ahve a single cpu I recommend it be 2.o or better with at least Hyper-threading to use any Vista version that has Aero. At video card prices there is no reason you can't have a dedicated high quality card. If you have a laptop, teh card must have 250MB of dedicated ram. Not 128 and 128 shared. It can work, but it will be slow. My laptop has 128 dedicated and shares 128 of system ram. Aero works, but you can see in games it gets really bogged down. You can skimp on CPU power but not ram and video cards. Be cheap on these and you will have problems. If your not sure which version to get, go to MSFT site forst and read what teh differences are. teh address is always www.microsoft.com/thenameof product. MSFT has teh easiet site to get detaled info. Sometimes to much, but better then not getting emough. Use MSFT compatibility tool to scan you present system and it will tell you what version you can and should use, and if you want to use a better version it will tell you how to improve your system to be able to do so. In most case adding ram will solve many problems.But not all.

And I am so glad Window 7 will force you to do a new install verses upgrading. Most know that if you upgrade you simply drag over previous problems. A new install will eliminate most of that problem.

THis article was pretty good, especially since it wasn't biased. I think if users do proper homework the upgrade road to 7 will have way less problems. Just bec you have a PH'D behind your name, doesn't mean you know everything.

[backpacker299]

If Microsoft wants to be Microsoft again, they should give Windows 7 (the complete version, all features) away free. That would pay off in the end for them because people will know that Microsoft realized they messed up with Vista and they actually want users to like their products.

[BAMT]

"SE customers will be able to run only 3 applications at the same"

What is an application defined as? This sounds like the stupidest decision ever. With such a restriction, M$ doesn't stand a chance against Linux (it is aimed at netbooks, right?).

[Cernenus]

Don't blame the bloatware on MS, most of that junk is put on there by the PC makers, who get paid to do so by the makers of all the trial version software etc.. It is a pain (I think we spent nearly an hour un-installing junk like that off my dad's latest new laptop) and I wish more makers would just give me the option for the OS+Drivers, or at the very least let me PICK what gets installed during the initial setup, instead of installing it all and making me go hunt down and remove all the trialware, addware, starterversion, etc.

(unless you are talking about the basic 'accessory' stuff like notpad, wordpad, calculator etc.. but frankly I don't consider most of those junk, and I use a good amount of em at one point or another.)

That is one thing I like about building my own machines, cause if I do that, and then just install the 'stock' OS bought directly from MS, it's not loaded with all that junk. Sure I might have to track down a few things like the Foxit viewer to look at PDF files (cause acrobat also comes with tons of bloatware these days) but at least I know what's installed on the box. Far less wondering "what the @#$%^ is this? do I really need it? can I uninstall it without breaking anything?"

But hey, if you really REALLY want stripped down bare basics 'old school' just install Windows Server 2008 'Server Core' You'll never appreciate the GUI more till you've tried to configure networking, remote access, and a bunch of other stuff all from the command line.

[kenwilsonii]

Wow, these people are dumb.

The only version that does anyone anygood fo "Vista" is the ultimare version. the Ultimate version is rather pricey and hence people don't buy it.

Add to that the relative problems/issues related to the UAC, upgrading from XP (Expecially x64) and Windows 7 looks just as unappealling as Vista.

These people do not understand the average consumer.

[Jibby99]

will there be 6 different versions of the blue screen?

[Cernenus]

'problems with UAC'

because like running all the time as a full rights administrator and being totally open to any virus or trojan is just SO much better... Especially for users who like to click on emails titled 'I love you' or links in instant messages from someone you haven't chatted with in a year saying "is this you?", or go searching the net for sites to 'watch twilight for free'.. yeah it's SO much better to be wide open running as an admin full time on the system than occasionaly having to answer a prompt now and then that verifies something really should be allowed to run as an admin.

and as for expecting that you ought to be able to just 'upgrade' a 32 bit OS to a 64 bit OS.... yeah, you said it "boy are these people dumb"

As to ultimate being the only version that's any good.. fah. I run Vista Business on the workstation at my job and it does the job just fine. Close to a year since I got that box and it's never crashed or bluescreened once. I can't say that for any system I've ever had running XP or Win2K (but then it's a work system, and I've not installed a lot of obscure junk or wack drivers on it either)

and no, I don't work for MS.

[mb56]

Simply amazing! More of the same old stuff from MS - they've learned nothing from the Vista debacle.
End the insanity folks - take the plunge and dual install a good Linux like SUSE or Ubuntu now. Take your time, get comfortable with it and you'll be free from MS's abuse and the constant security issues by the time Windows 7 rolls around.

[Fwippy]

"Pentium M is teh mobile version of the original single core Pentium 4. Most don't exceed 1.5GHz. Centrino has builtin Wifi which is built onto the CPU. As far as power this is a Pentium Class CPU. They also come in Single ad Dualcore."

I'm sorry, but Centrino is not a processor type. Centrino is an Intel marketing phrase that describes a combination of the chipset, CPU, and Wifi device. To the best of my knowledge, no processor has integrated Wifi, and an integrated 'antenna' would be next to impossible. It would theoretically be possible to integrate the wifi controller on the CPU, but there would not be any practical reason to do so. The Centrino family uses mini-PCIe wifi cards almost exclusively to implement wireless connectivity.

As to the article: groan. I wish Microsoft hadn't realized that people will pay eighty dollars extra in order to get a useful version of their operating system.

[bornfromjets]

microsoft does not learn. i still use xp pro only because i use FSX. otherwise, i would be using on linux. as it is, vista will not work with some of the stuff i bought for fsx. how do they want me to invest an absurd amount of money on something that basicall does not work right. i am basically a hardware tech. anyone can correct me here if i am thinking crazy. personally, microsoft xp and the sim are hogs. why not develop a very basic xp os, and i mean basic, to use strictly for gaming. this way the majority of resources can be used by the sim or games. i do not know how difficult this would be for microsoft. but i think it would simplify things, as the os would be uniform and simple without tons of services and all the other things in xp and vista. it would be easier to troubleshoot problems.



7 different versions, as we can see microsoft is like boeing. they have a different mentality than the rest of the world and do not listen to forums or anyone else. they spend too much money and still put out a bad product. forums are a barometer of how things are with software or hardware. nobody reads this stuff. when i have problems with the sim, the developer of the software i buy says they have a difficult time getting things right because of the way microsoft does things. if another flight sim comes out and i cannot use xp, sad to say, the hobby i love will come to a halt. i will not spend literallly hundereds of dollars on something that does not work. i will just have to stick to xp and fsx. and linux on all my other machines, as in time, xp will not be updated. unsafe to use on the net without updates and support. this is something i think microsoft has given no thought to. just develop more problematic software and make more money. kind of sounds like the american car makers. they complain we do not buy. wonder why. anyway just my take. i am always with an open mind and it is great to learn, wish ms had the same thought process. it is about others, not our personal agendas and what works for me alone.

[Fzier]

The best thing that ever happened to Apple was vista. I suspect the 2nd best thing will be windows 7.

[Muchenjeri]

We could debate whether 6 different versions are necessary. But Microsoft is a corporation, not an open source group. They sell operating systems. Anyone who likes windows (which is the majority of computer users) expects to buy it. Despite the bad rap vista received (mostly from people who actually did not use it), it was a much better OS for productivity, and Windows 7 refines that and adds many cool things. I do not expect Microsoft to dish out Windows 7 for free because it is not a service pack. While I agree that 6 versions is rather weird, I understand the need for multiple versions.

[cdotrun]

Microsoft still don't get it! They should just charge us for the basics (the Kernel plus standard accessories). I will be happy to pay a small fee later for each additional features I want, NOT X00 bucks more for 20% of the features I want and another 80% that I don't want (Run "services.msc").

Also, would be great if each license allows 5 installs (individual PCs or server hosting for thin clients) and of course infinite reinstalls. Nicer to allow home users with few computers to sell unused licenses too back to Microsoft.

[joeazzi]

Writer failed to mention important information about what versions would be available to consumers. Consumers would have 2 versions, Home premium and Professional versions to chose from. This information would makes this piece and it's conclusions worthless.

PCW should raise it's standards and shake off those crowd pleasing statements that are often not true.

[theboots]

OMG. I hope they really do this 6 version thing. Then the likes of OS Snow Leopard, Linux will gain even more traction.

[RDunn]

I've got an older Toshiba M55 running the beta Windows 7.... which says it is the 'ultimate' version.

It only has 1.86GHz processor and 1.5GB RAM. The only drawback is the Intel 910/915 integrated graphics not having a WDDM driver, so I can't run Aero or videos.... but that chipset ran Aero in the Vista beta, before MS required a WDDM driver check in the retail version.

So... so far, Win7 Ultimate runs fine on 1.86GHz cpu with 1.5GB Ram.

[RDunn]

Some ... people don't understand Win7.

[zainkazmi786]

This is why Mac is the best, cuz there is one version that runs stable and has all the great features