The Road to Vista, Part I

By Weston Henry

The Most Secure Windows ever, but is it right for you?

March 15 | 2007

With all the media attention and publicity surrounding Vista, you might be wondering what is Vista and why does it matter to me? Vista is Microsoft’s newest operating system. Microsoft says Vista will make your computer easier, safer, and more entertaining to use and for businesses, the features that seem to garner the most interest are the improved security, reliability, and improved management.

What people first see when using Vista is the new look of the desktop and windows called Aero. Aero adds 3D effects and translucent window borders among other effects. The overall appearance of Vista with Aero is very pleasing. It has a slick shininess that’s easy to like.

Next is the addition of desktop gadgets. Gadgets are mini applications which can reside on the desktop or dock on the side of the screen. Gadgets can connect to websites or business data to display information like weather, news, traffic maps, network status, streaming media, eBay bid status, slide shows, or staff in-out status. The potential is nearly limitless.

The other change people notice right away is the redesigned start menu. The default Vista start menu is very different from the start menu in Windows XP. Now instead of looking through a big listing of submenu after submenu to find the program you’re looking for, Vista includes a simple search function that searches the programs available through the start menu.

There are many other new features of Vista and the new Vista experience that aren’t covered here. See the screen shots for a small sampling.

Which version is right for me?

Vista is available in five different versions: Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, Vista Business, Vista Ultimate, and Vista Enterprise. See the table above for a quick feature comparison.

So which version is right for you? That depends on what you need. The home editions are not intended for use in a business. While ideal for home use, they lack certain features that are desirable if not a necessity for business use.

Vista Home Basic is a stripped down version which still includes the improved security and reliability of Vista, but does not include the new Aero interface, Windows Media Center, or some of the other advanced features of Vista Home Premium. By eliminating those features, Vista Home Basic is less expensive and also less demanding when it comes to the processor speed, RAM, and hard drive space. So Vista Home is ideal for those on a tight budget or trying to upgrade but still use older hardware. Vista Home also features improved parental controls compared to Windows XP.

Vista Home Premium includes all the features of Vista Home Basic, but includes cool features like the advanced Aero interface, Windows Media Center, and Windows DVD Maker.

Vista Business fits the same segment that Windows XP Professional fit. In other words, if you’ll be using Vista for business, you want to get at least Vista Business. Vista Business includes the primary features of Vista Home Basic but also includes the Aero interface and features essential for proper use as part of a business network.

Vista Ultimate really is the ultimate version of Vista. It includes the main features of Vista Home Premium and Vista Business. According to Microsoft, Vista Ultimate is the “flagship edition of Windows Vista across consumer and small business desktop PCs and mobile PCs.” Vista Ultimate is the ideal edition to use for computers that will be used at home and for work.

Vista Enterprise is “the premium edition of Windows Vista for business desktop and mobile PCs.” It’s designed for businesses with large or complex desktop deployments and has advanced features like BitLocker Drive Encryption and licensing rights to four virtual operating systems. Vista Enterprise requires certain specific licensing in order to purchase it.

Basically, if you’re using Vista at home, get one of the home versions (Home Basic or Home Premium) or Vista Ultimate. For a business computer, get Vista Business, Vista Enterprise, or Vista Ultimate.

If you’re concerned about data theft Vista Ultimate with BitLocker™ Drive Encryption is your best choice. This is especially important for laptops which may be misplaced or stolen.

Next month I’ll explain how to install Vista on your PC.

Continue down the road to Vista, click here for part II.

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