April 20th, 2006
The Windows Vista Secret Decoder Ring
Windows Vista won’t be on the street for another nine months, and already it’s built up an impressive collection of conventional wisdom — the kind of stuff everyone knows is true. At the top of the list is the idea that Microsoft is making the biggest marketing blunder since New Coke by introducing too many versions. Last September, when the first rumors of multiple Vista versions began appearing, I gathered up a representative sample of dire predictions and scornful dismissals, all of which incorporated some variation of the word “confusing.”
Now, in all fairness, Microsoft is guilty of shooting itself in the foot on this issue. They haven’t come out with a crisp, easy-to-understand explanation of the differences between the different Vista versions they announced. In fact, the preliminary Windows Vista Product Guide (briefly released earlier this month and then pulled) has a practically incomprehensible five-page feature table that looks like a graduate thesis from the Rube Goldberg School of Business.
Well, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Which is why I took that bulky table and distilled it into a simple matrix. A core set of Windows Vista features are common to every edition and aren’t included in this table; if you want more than the basics, you can choose from four groups of additional features by selecting one of the four upgraded Vista versions: Home Premium, Business, Enterprise (available via volume license programs only), or Ultimate Edition, which incorporates every feature.
When you look at it the right way, it’s not confusing at all.
| The Windows Vista Secret Decoder Ring | ||||
|
Feature |
HP | BU | EN | UL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Upgrade Editions | ||||
| Windows Aero user interface (full) | • | • | • | • |
| Tablet PC support | • | • | • | • |
| Windows SideShow | • | • | • | • |
| Scheduled backup of user files | • | • | • | • |
| Back up user files to a network device | • | • | • | • |
| PC-to-PC Sync | • | • | • | • |
| Network Projection | • | • | • | • |
| Presentation Settings | • | • | • | • |
| Up to 10 simultaneous SMB connections | • | • | • | • |
| Windows Collaboration (full functionality) | • | • | • | • |
| Premium games [1] | • | • | • | • |
| Home Only | ||||
| Parental Controls [2] | • | • | ||
| Themed Slide Shows | • | • | ||
| Windows Media Center (supports CableCARD, HDTV, and Media Center Extenders such as Xbox 360) | • | • | ||
| Windows Movie Maker [2] | • | • | ||
| Windows Movie Maker HD | • | • | ||
| Windows DVD Maker | • | • | ||
| Business Only | ||||
| Support for two physical CPUs | • | • | • | |
| Support for 128+GB RAM (64-bit CPU) [3] | • | • | • | |
| Windows Mobility Center (full functionality) | • | • | • | |
| Remote Desktop (Host and Client) | • | • | • | |
| Windows Fax and Scan [4] | • | • | • | |
| Windows ShadowCopy | • | • | • | |
| System image-based backup/recovery | • | • | • | |
| Encrypting File System | • | • | • | |
| Wireless network provisioning | • | • | • | |
| Desktop deployment tools for managed networks. | • | • | • | |
| Policy-based quality of service for networking | • | • | • | |
| Windows Rights Management Services (RMS) Client | • | • | • | |
| Control installation of device drivers | • | • | • | |
| Network Access Protection Client Agent | • | • | • | |
| Pluggable logon authentication architecture | • | • | • | |
| Integrated Smart Card management | • | • | • | |
| Domain join (Windows Server/SBS) | • | • | • | |
| Group Policy support | • | • | • | |
| Offline files and folder support | • | • | • | |
| Client-Side Caching | • | • | • | |
| Roaming user profiles | • | • | • | |
| Folder redirection | • | • | • | |
| Centralized power management through Group Policy | • | • | • | |
| Internet Information Server [5] | • | • | • | |
| Enterprise Only | ||||
| Windows BitLocker drive encryption | • | • | ||
| Support for multiple UI languages | • | • | ||
| Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications | • | • | ||
| Virtual PC Express | • | • | ||
HP=Home Premium
BU=Business Edition
EN=Enterprise (volume license only)
UL=Ultimate
[1] Optional; not part of default install in Business and Enterprise editions
[2] Also included with Home Basic Edition
[3] All 32–bit versions support a maximum of 4GB; with 64–bit CPUs, Home Basic and Home Premium editions support 8GB and 16GB, respectively.
[4] Optional; not part of default install in Enterprise and Ultimate
[5] Optional; not part of default install in any edition
Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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| 04/20/06
