In my opinion, one of the things that Microsoft screwed up on with Vista is the release of different flavors of the operating system. They include:
- Vista Basic
- Vista Home Premium
- Vista Business
- Vista Ultimate
I think this is stupid and introduces unnecessary complexity. It seems to me a better move would be to have a single version of the operating system. Simplicity is powerful in the world of technology. Multiple versions is one of the reasons the world of Linux is intimidating to most computer users. I don’t see any reason why Microsoft had to do it with Windows.
But, they did. And what’s the difference?
Vista Basic
Vista Basic is just that – basic. The pretty screenshots you see of Vista probably show you what is called the Aero interface. Aero is the name given to the new eye candy contained in Vista. But, the Basic version does not include it. So, essentially, Vista Basic is a Windows upgrade which is going to look much more like the older Windows XP. Basic is usually what comes on newer PCs that are not all that powerful. The Aero interface requires some computer horsepower to run, so weaker machines using Vista will typically be running Vista Basic.
Vista Home Premium
Take Vista Basic and add Aero and a bunch of other crap and you have Vista Home Premium. Home Premium has the following additions over Basic:
- Aero interface
- Vista Sideshow – allows you to use secondary displays that can display data when Windows is not running
- Media Center
- Scheduled Backup (although you can do this with other utilities so you don’t need Microsoft’s version)
- DVD Maker
- More Games
Of all of this, the only thing that is cool is the Aero interface. Everything else is not that useful and/or could be done with third-party software.
Vista Business
Take Vista Home Premium, remove Media Center, and add remote desktop, scheduled backup, and fax capabilities, and you pretty much have Vista Business. In short, they have taken the multimedia stuff OUT of Vista, included stuff they thought would be useful to a business, and released it as a Vista flavor. You do not need Vista Business in order to have web serving capability. I am using Home Premium and could easily install IIS7 web server from the disc.
But, again, you can do everything that is “new” with Vista Business easily using third-party software.
Vista Ultimate
OK, essentially throw in everything and you have Ultimate. It’s Home Premium and Business all in one.
Which Vista For You?
If you are going to switch to Windows Vista, I recommend Home Premium. This will give you the Aero interface, which is the only perk worth having beyond Windows Vista Basic. All of the other add-ons can be handled by third-party software, often better than the way Microsoft does it. Make sure you have a powerful computer before trying to run Home Premium. I would recommend 2 GB of RAM to get decent performance using Vista with Aero enabled.
Vista Business is a waste of money. The business “features” of this version are easily done using other software.
Vista Ultimate is equally a waste. The only thing Ultimate about it is the price tag. The word “ultimate” is nice marketing, but it really isn’t that “ultimate”.
If your computer is old enough that you think Vista Basic is all you can run, then I recommend sticking with XP. You can do everything with XP you can do with Vista, but with more stability and faster. There is really no reason to upgrade to Vista unless you have a powerful computer and are willing to put up with some of the annoyances of early adoption.
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Spaztick
15. Aug, 2007
I agree, I haven’t touched Vista mainly because its 1) new (which means subject to bugs and instability) and 2) has a lot of bloatware on it. If your OS has to be on a DVD, it’s too big.
Chad Nelson
17. Aug, 2007
I love my Vista Ultimate, was fun getting all the drivers. I tried to install on my alienware laptop and cant use because of my audigy NX sound card. no drivers and no future support awesome!!! definately a memory hog though!!! 2 gig manditory for a performance rig. and 6 gig hard drive space. Chad.
Sharron Field
29. Nov, 2008
Yeh; it’s a while since this post was written and comments added. Vista has been around a long time and it still sucks. Vista SP1 was released this year, 2008, and it’s still slower than XP, which I still use, and still bloatware.
Microsoft have at last made a veiled admission that they made mistakes with Vista. (IMO releasing it was the main one.)
On the horizon now is Windows Seven; which is scheduled for release in 2009. – It looks good, is nowhere near as bloated as Vista, and might just save Microsoft from the doldrums: Some people have been turning to Mac and Linux lately because of Vista. All Vista did was to demonstrate how good XP was and give alternative operating systems a boost.
As an example of this; five times more of my blog’s visitors currently use XP than use Vista: That speaks volumes about Vista.
Henning
04. Feb, 2009
For someone who does not know too much of the in and outs, this article sure saved me both money and headaches. I have been running XP Pro for years, and even if I have enough horsepower to upgrade, I will stay away. Thank you.
James Moshier
04. Jun, 2009
Bought a Sony laptop Notebook last year (2008) when I went back to the states on vacation.It is loaded with Vista Home Primium.The OS and all the bloatware have taken up 30% of my hard drive.I have downloaded nothing extra except Anti Virus program.Wish I could get rid of Vista and install XP,but cannot find a version in Englis here in Spain.I never use the laptop because Vista is junk,and I have two new powerful PCs at home.Vista is junk!! I got rid of a couple of the programs that I did not need,over 200 MBPS but didn’t help.