Sunday 12 July 2009

Windows Seven E Editions

  

As you may or may not be aware the EU has decided in their infinite wisdom to stop Microsoft providing a browser in their OS.  They have been proceeding with legal actions over anti-trust issues on Microsoft due to the bundling of IE (Internet Explorer) in Windows.  Microsoft have paid the fines for XP and Vista and finaly have raised their hands and given up.  This means that now when you buy Windows Seven you CAN NOT upgrade due to the odd upgrade process that Microsoft can not currently support that removes IE from Vista or XP.  Instead you have to perform a clean install and re-download all your programs off of disk or the internet.  This isn’t so bad until you need to download Acrobat or iTunes, at which point things get tricky.  With out the browser how can you download anything? I can’t see my grandparents using command line FTP to watch a YouTube video, it is painful enough for them to use Firefox! 

On Microsoft’s website where you can review the “upgrade” options (upgrade is in quotes because you have to do a clean install)  they have this at the bottom in small printCapture

This means that you have to have read this or have eyes like a hawk to notice then remember to put Chrome (or some other browser, there is another?!) onto a memory stick and install it after the “upgrade”

 

Microsoft have even made E Edition branding for the latest update to their OS,  this is a serious thing that Microsoft seem all to prepared to do, essentially Microsoft are showing the EU that their ridiculous policies are fraught with problems, how can a browser market be fair if the worlds leading OS doesn’t have the ability to easily download another browser?!  Although I won’t be downloading any .exe files for the upgrade I shall make a .bat to download the chrome browser.  This is the end of the EU’s antitrust policies on Software Vendors.

Windows Seven E edition logo

Windows Seven boxes

Finaly I have to talk about pricing, at the moment the price is £49.99 for the Home edition of windows Seven and £99.99 for the Professional edition, Microsoft don’t actively seem to be advertising Ultimate, one can assume they are trying to phase it out, I am slightly worried that people wil be mythed if they have bought Vista Ultimate then only got the Dreascene perk and will soon find them selves loosing that to an edition that Microsoft are beginning to eradicate, as Microsoft are offering Version to Version upgrades, ie, Ultimate to Ultimate. This means that not only do they lose the one and only Vista Ultimate perk but they have to pay full price, no pre-order discounts, for the OS update.  Whilst I’d highly recommend Windows Seven over Windows Vista there is a price to pay for the early Ultimate adopters

As always,

graymalkin