I don't see why they are ASSUMING that ONLY NETBOOK USERS WILL INSTALL THE STARTER EDITION. Also, why restrict the number of programs? Redmond sure is trying hard to loose market share using very poor logic and reasoning skills.

i think hackers will find a way around this
just my opinion

I could also see this coming standard on ultra low cost desktops, but I doubt MS wants it there.

This is kind of like Vista's User Account Control. Both had good intentions, but really were not what people needed. Just like UAC, I think this new concept wont last very long.

It's bad if this includes start up programs that most users neglect to manage.

I use my netbook daily.

At a minimum, I have my email client (Evolution), a web brower (Firefox) and an IM program open (pidgin). With Win7 I'd be at the limit right there, so say I get an email with a .doc file: I'd have to close either my IM program or web broswer to view it??? Edit an image in Gimp? Complete garbage. Makes me even more glad I switched to Linux long ago.

The only way the usage he describes would be typical is if people had no other choice but starter edition. Of course MS knows this, and is hoping these duped people are daft enough to pay for an upgrade to an OS that is actually usable.

if AV does not count as a program, I'd agree. Set Azureus in msconfig bootup programs, and perhaps it's not counted as a program.
On my mini notebook I generally have anti virus/firewall/popupblocker, firefox upto 12 tabs, eeectl (to boost processor speed and wifi range), mousepad drivers, sometimes a movie with wmp.
I'd never run wmp together with office on my mininotebook. the screen is too small and I just can't do 2 things at the same time. MSN Messenger alikes, I no longer use. If AV and perhaps explorer / internet explorer windows are not counted in the 3 programs it is plenty sufficient I'd think; although on my eeepc, if I would run eeectl, mousepad driver (synaptics pointing device) and GMAbooster I can no longer do anything else with it...

I would never notice it. I am very one-track minded and I never have more than one or two windows open at a time anyway, on my desktop or my laptop. I never understood how people can get work done with so much crap open at once.

It's fine, IF it's cheap and doesn't take up much space. Anyone who's dealt with XP on a SSD netbook knows what I mean here.

What are the differences between the Starter edition and the one just next to it? Is it only the 3 apps limitation? if so, The price difference will go with it: You can pay less and get a limitation.

Just like XP, Hackers will find a way to turn a starter edition into a Ultimate edition.

Unfortunately the major of the negative feedback that is on this post for this product is unrealistic being that most posters will not run this version of Windows 7 anyway! Do I think this is a bad idea? NO. Microsoft needs to preserve the OS and the performace of the netbook and lower powered computers that are still on the market and that will be continued to be produced.

Three application limit is enough when you put it in prospective of a system running at least 1gb memory, under 1.6ghz single core, and a slower RPM HDD...

Also, when compared to an iPhone for example which allows only 1 program at a time then why the complaints. Is it because Microsoft did not glamourize the other features? Or make it sound ground breaking enough? If Apple were to produce an iPhone based netbook are you going to complain then when only one application can run?

Give me a break.... Go buy ultimate if you want NO LIMITATIONS!

If, as this article suggests, "Windows" Apps are not counted in the 3 application limit, then this edition of Win7 would work fine for most Office workers as well.

How many office workers actually "use," as part of their job, more than the following at any given time:

1. Email (Outlook)
2. One Office Application (Word)
3. Internet Explorer... (Most workers use IE for personal work at "work"...not work.)
4. Windows Explorer (Not counted)
5. Antivirus (Not counted)
6. Wifi Program (Not counted)
7. Adobe Acrobat, another Office Application, etc.

As AndrewMD suggests, for the computers this OS will be installed on...3 is a good enough number. If 4 would have been chosen, then this edition could be installed on almost ALL business oriented laptops. (And, MS doesn't want that...)

This is just like the silly difference in XP Home and XP Pro. (Pro can't join a domain.) If Home could have joined a domain, then businesses wouldn't have used Pro since almost everything is managed via Group Policy via Active Directory.

why not have a 7 app limit?

"running multiple Microsoft Office or OpenOffice aps, playing music in iTunes or Windows Media Player, and using third-party IM programs, I would probably be incredibly frustrated with the limitations of Starter Edition.”
Seriously, other than people who have tons of money to burn, who wouldn't do these common everyday tasks on a netbook they purchased? Is it so far-fetched that they should be able to do a few of these things at the same time especially since netbooks are starting to get decently fast?

Well, just on system boot up, my system already runs more than 3 ... so Starter Edition is already completely useless to me.

Where'd the Duke Nukem page go!?!?!?!!?

If I had a netbook, I think the 3 app limit would be enough--the things are so slow I wouldn't dare running more than one or two things at the same time.

However, I don't have a netbook. What I have is a CarPC with an Atom motherboard. Windows 7 Starter Edition would be perfect, because I only run maximum of 3 applications at the same time: the CarPC Front End, Internet Explorer, and the GPS program (which is a part of most CarPC front ends, but not in my case). Starter Edition would save money, while saving the time of stripping down a "Full Fat" version of the OS. Perfect for this embedded application!

99% of the time it would not be a problem for me on any of my computers- work, home or laptop.

This why they need to release Windows ME for netbooks. This way you get full functionaily plus a lite OS environment. This seems like a perfect solution to me.

Here's a sneaky idea: run stater edition inside a virtualbox, or similar, on starter edition (XPM won't be supported according to MS). Depending on how apps are counted you can get at least 9 apps going to potentially unlimited if it allows multiple invocations of a single program. Just a thought...

If people wants to pay less they need to live with limitations.
The bad point with the "Starter" versions is the hardware limits, not the 3 apps limit.

I need Windows only for gaming and because that i will use only one app most of the time.
If i can run Win7 Starter in my (almost decent) machine without problems i will think about buy it, if i can't i will wait until my favorite games run on LINUX and don't buy neither Windows or the game. (The game i will buy, when it runs on LINUX of course)

I think Windows is too expensive to me because i don't need the majority of features it have (and it don't have the majority of features that i need), for this reason i never think about buy the most expensive versions, but with "Starter" costing much less i'm inclined to invest in then.

Disappointing - I was planning on getting a netbook for doing work on the go. That would be Firefox + Web Browser + a Messenging program. That then stops me from loading anything else up - no music, no email, no ability to view images in Picture Viewer, no Acrobat Reader...

Not to worry, peeps, the hacke... I mean, "programmers" in Malaysia will figure out a way to hack... I mean, "go around" this.

If it comes pre-loaded with starter edition instead of xp or vista, great, it reduced the cost. Unfortunately you can't buy them with no OS, so money still goes to fund a company when I won't use their software anyway after wiping and installing Linux, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

Next? For mail-order systems, such as are shipped by Dell, no OS SHOULD be an option, while reducing $50-250 from the cost, depending what the system normally ships with anyway...

There's nothing mandating an OEM can't put home premium in their netbooks; they'll just cost a little more. It's all about capturing the different segments of the market. We should withhold judgment until we have some idea about pricing.

That would be awesome , I wish they could evoke a one app limit. that one app would use the full resources available. That one app would not be bogged down by twenty little apps that magically appeared in your sys tray.
That one app would operate smoothly and not run into other programs and freeze up. that one app would take less time to load and and when you shut it down it would actually go away. Imagine if a Disk Operating System could do that.

This will take about 15 mins to find a workaround for. This limitation is targeted at the average consumer, not the tech savvy users that generally frequent this site.

The limitation will probably be useless in the long run, as people will soon figure out how to write your apps so that they don't count towards the 3 app limit.

I guess as long as the netbook makers provide for an option for another version of Windows 7, I would be okay with Microsoft putting out a starter edition. This would give the greatest option for the consumer. Also, netbooks will invariably get more powerful, and a more feature oriented version of Windows 7 will become viable on a netbook.

The fact that they are trying to package something that no one wants with netbooks just to try to get us to buy the "better" one is majorly lame to me. I won't buy a netbook that has Windows 7 Starter Edition on it, that's for sure...