Topic: Vista available as a download

[Clive]

Windows Vista, Microsoft's forthcoming operating system, will be available to download from the internet, the company has said.

Vista, which is due to launch on 30 January, will be the first Windows operating system that has been distributed to customers in this way.

This would seem to fit in with analyst company Gartner's prediction last year that operating systems beyind Vista would be deployed in a different way, with the basic components available to download on the internet and individuals able to pick and choose upgrades to suit their own needs.

As well as being available as a download in the Windows Marketplace, Vista will also be on the shelves of online and bricks-and-mortar stores.

?With the consumer launch of Windows Vista so close, we're excited to announce three new ways to make the purchase and upgrade experience easier than ever,? said Brad Brooks of Microsoft.

However, Windows Vista Family Discount, which will allow customers to buy further copies of Vista at heavily discounted prices, will not be available in the UK.

Customers will also be able to upgrade their version of Windows Vista on the internet once they have purchased it. There will be four editions of Vista - Business, Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate - and if customers decide they want to change the version they have they will be able to use the Windows Anytime Upgrade service.

?These new programs give our customers more flexibility and choice to ensure they get the edition that's right for them,? said Brooks.

Vista Business will cost £290, while the Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate editions will cost £180, £220 and £370 respectively. Prices for downloads have not yet been announced.

http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/


 

[Simon]

Home Premium and Ultimate editions will cost £180, £220 and £370 respectively.

  That's astonishing!  Given that once a victim has installed Vista, half of their existing software will no longer work, and will also need upgrading, this could turn out to be en extremely costly exercise.

[Rodders]

Yes, those price points do seem a little bizarre when you consider that Vista's already about as popular as a piranha in a bidet.

I intend to wait until after SP1 comes out before even thinking about installing Vista.  That way, I'll have a better idea what applications it's going to break.

[sam]

just stay with xp, do you really need vista? :-)

[Sandra]

I quite like some of the extra features in Vista Ultimate.

As Simon said though it doesnt seem to like a lot of older programs but I have found that you can sometimes run them in XP compatability mode, as we had to do with some programs designed for 98 when XP came out.