The Unofficial Blog of the Unofficial Guide to Windows Vista

eWeek: Which Vista is right for you? · 24. October 2006, 15:39 by Derek Torres

eWeek has an article this week on finding the right version of Windows Vista for you.

Having read it, it seems to me that the author is spending too much time denigrating the Windows Starter version, especially since he admits that it’s not really designed for release in the US. He doesn’t mention the original plan for Starter, which was to try and curb bootlegging the software by offering a low-level version for a very low price. To go on to suggest that this version will be sold in all practicality in the US is, in my opinion, not likely. Perhaps someone may get it and put it on a file sharing media, but these people will quickly see the limitations of this version.

The author also goes on to lament that MSN Messenger with Windows Live Messenger and that they’re not the same thing. From where I sit, this is a good thing. Having used both now, Windows Live Messenger is a much better application that offers much more flexibility and functionality.

He also mentions grief caused by NetMeeting being replaced by Windows Meeting Space. Doesn’t he remember that NetMeeting was already starting to get the deepsix in XP, where you had to find the executable to launch it (unless you created a shortcut?)

For some reason, the article also assumes that business users would want to use a Home business for professional purposes? Why? The name of the Edition alone gives a fairly good hint of the intended audience.

But, wait, ah, yes… at the end of the article, all is revealed. If the review and edition analysis didn’t seem honest to me, there’s a reason. The author is a Linux and Open-Source Linux editor, who, in his own words, “may just have learned something along the way.” This was probably apparent in the closing paragraphs where after trying to inform users on which Vista to use, suggests just scrapping your plans and going with Linux, of course, or Mac.