Countdown to Windows Vista: The THG Rundown

Windows Has Various Faces: Vista Editions Compared

There are four main editions available:

• Windows Vista Home Basic
  The elementary version is indeed very basic. It features the Vista OS core, but doesn't come with the fancy AeroGlass interface, nor lots of other features. It is, however, sufficient if you simply want the latest operating system and its security. Instant Search and the features described earlier in this article haven't been removed. At $199, this is the cheapest version of Vista.
• Windows Vista Home Premium
  The premium edition is $40 more expensive than the Basic edition and comes with AeroGlass and the Windows Media Center, but it lacks some features that only come with the Business, Ultimate and Enterprise editions. DVD authoring and HDTV video quality are supported, as well as Meeting Space (the successor to NetMeeting) and Remote Desktop Client capabilities. We consider the Vista Home Premium edition a nice mixture between a Home and a Media Center Edition.
• Windows Vista Business
  The business version is $299 and does not feature the multimedia capabilities of the Home edition. Instead, it comes with Internet Information Server (IIS) web server, fax support, offline file support, file system encryption and support for two processor sockets.
• Windows Vista Ultimate
  Ultimate has everything, but it is the most expensive edition at $399. It combines everything from the versions described above.

In addition to these, there is a Vista Enterprise edition, which is available to Volume License customers (VL). In terms of capabilities, it lies between Vista Business and Ultimate.

You will find a more detailed overview on the Vista editions on the Microsoft website.

Should You Upgrade Now?

Upgrading can be important if you care about Mac users not laughing at you anymore - after all, MacOS X (Tiger) has had lots of Vista's features for a long time. But let's be serious. Windows Vista certainly is the most significant Windows release ever. From a feature point of view, it implements lots of new items and additions to make use of today's technology, though this is something that we take for granted in a brand new operating system. We want indexed search, a decent interface with improved input/output options for interacting with the user and more. From an additions point of view - think of Windows Mail, Internet Explorer 7, Media Player 11 and Windows Gallery - there is not much that you cannot get from 3rd party software. Mozilla Thunderbird and Firefox, various media players or iTunes and Picasa will do the job about as well.

So why upgrade? For old Windows hands, the improved security should be the strongest reason to switch, but it is the overall experience that makes Windows Vista so smooth. It installs quickly, it can easily be customized, it connects to other devices and networks much better, and finally, it just "feels good". This overall impression is likely due to performance features such as SuperFetch and ReadyBoost, which we will cover in greater detail in another article.

If your PC is only average, or you hesitate to spend $199 to $399, think twice, because you may easily end up spending more money than that on hardware upgrades. Although Microsoft asks for 800 MHz and 512 MB RAM, realistically we consider 1 GB RAM and 1.2 GHz the minimum for a smooth Vista experience. If you care about good looks, be sure that your graphics card is no older than two years. Driver support can still be an issue if you need exotic hardware to work, too. For example, we are missing drivers for a webcam and a fingerprint reader. If you care about maximum system performance and responsiveness, you should try running Vista with its performance enhancement features on a decent machine and turn off all the visual goodies.

Who Should Buy Windows Vista Right Away?

Only you can decide if upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista right away makes sense for you. We do recommend, however, going for Windows Vista right away if you plan on buying a new system anyway. Five years after Windows XP, Windows Vista undoubtedly is the better operating system, period. For new systems, it isn't more expensive than Windows XP, but it gives you more comfort, better connectivity, more security and a future-proof software platform. We found it to be more accessible as well, so go for Vista if you are a beginner, rather than fighting with the difficulties of Windows XP when it comes to doing things.

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