Windows 8 editions announced...

Everyone

Windows 8 editions were announced today... seems slightly simplified from previous versions...

Announcing the Windows 8 Editions

Basically we have:
Windows 8
Windows 8 Pro
Windows 8 Enterprise
Windows RT (this one is Windows for ARM systems, only available pre-installed).

veritas_libertas

More simplistic than past families of Windows.

SteveLord

What matters is what is or isn't included with them. At least they seem to have done away with largely useless "Ultimate" editions.

QHalo

Simple and concise.

ptilsen

I think they simplified in the wrong direction. Pro and Enterprise should be combined. There has always been a market for a stripped down, cheap consumer edition. Raising the bar too high encourages piracy. On the business side, restricting certain features to Enterprise mostly just limits implementation of those technologies. Enterprise features are desirable in the small business, but MS has pretty much made it impractical to implement them in this sector as a result.

That's my opinion on the business side of things. Outside of that, I'm content with simplified consumer versions. RT is a terrible name for the ARM version.

I think continuing to support 32-bit x86 is a mistake. The change has already been forced server-side. The industry has had more than five years of practical x64 use, with nearly a decade to make the transition. Print drivers are the only problem I ever see with the transition anymore, and I can't remember the last time I encountered a show-stopper.

Tackle

ptilsen wrote: »

I think continuing to support 32-bit x86 is a mistake. The change has already been forced server-side. The industry has had more than five years of practical x64 use, with nearly a decade to make the transition. Print drivers are the only problem I ever see with the transition anymore, and I can't remember the last time I encountered a show-stopper.

The company I work for develops a software that is not supported on 64bit workstations or terminal servers, only because 3rd party add ins are not compatible. You're right, getting the printers to work right in 64bit, especially with our software is a bear! It's hard telling people that they need to re-install with the 32bit version, or continue unsupported...but there's nothing I can do about it, it's in the developers hands.

SteveLord

ptilsen wrote: »

I think they simplified in the wrong direction....snip....

I agree with Pro and Enterprise being combined. Early in Windows 7's release, I ordered all Pro licenses. Then when BitLocker started to become interesting around here, I realized I was screwed because only my machine had Enterprise. Ended up not being a big deal as going BitLocker (from my current encryption software) for my situation would have been a major headache.

N2IT

Less is more! Glad to the versions being consolidated.

SteveLord

They were suppose to have done this with Windows 7.

veritas_libertas

SteveLord wrote: »

What matters is what is or isn't included with them. At least they seem to have done away with largely useless "Ultimate" editions.

Yes, but the all the versions made it confusing. That is all I was saying.

b321618

There going to start pumping these things out yearly

WafflesAndRootbeer

They would love that. Windows 2013, now with slide to lock! Windows 2014, now with built-in password protection! Windows 2015, now with USB 3.2 support! Windows 2016, now with MP6 encoding!

Novalith478

Yeah this is all too typical for Microsoft. Glad I switched to Linux lol.

RomBUS

Better than previous generations...I mean cmon... Home and Home PREMIUM?! Sheesh

This is at least a minor step-up

excalibur1814

Novalith478 wrote: »

Yeah this is all too typical for Microsoft. Glad I switched to Linux lol.

You switched to Linux because MS release too many versions of Windows? Seriously... Each time you 'throw the word linux into things' it doesn't mean that you're extra special.

docrice

In my experience one of the things that clutters Microsoft's various offerings (and when I say "clutter" I mean it in terms of how they market it, the number of components and dependencies in the operating system, and a bunch of other things). is partly an attempt to appeal to every sector of the market as well as retain legacy requirements. Having that backward compatibility requirement in terms of Active Directory domain integration capability and old application / protocol support adds more bulk into the default operating system install than is really necessary. There are way too many interactions with the disk and file system as well as processes in memory to make heads or tails when troubleshooting. I will say that desktop Linux is somewhat similar, however. This is the problem when you're trying to appeal to a common denominator user base and you're trying to be everything at once across all price ranges.

The fact that Professional and Enterprise (or Business vs. Enterprise during Vista) editions were never combined annoyed me as well. It got screwy with the whole MAK vs. KMS and KMS periodic re-activations, etc.. Don't get me started with the whole convoluted Microsoft licensing schemes. It's as if they want to make it so confusing that everyone would inevitably end up buying more licenses than they need and all Redmond hears is cha-ching day after day.

I think the marketing department at Microsoft could be doing a better job, unless they're intentionally making it difficult. Changing the naming schemes for their products was confusing enough. First Windows NT just had Workstation, Server, Terminal Services, etc.. Then when 2000 came out, all Windows versions adopted "Windows 2000 [choose Professional, Server, Advanced Server, or Datacenter]."

Then they broke up client and server into separate naming schemes. XP vs. Server 2003 (notice I didn't say "2003 Server") in Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter editions. Etc., etc..

In many ways, I'm glad I'm not a Windows sysadmin anymore.

sratakhin

ptilsen wrote: »

Print drivers are the only problem I ever see with the transition anymore, and I can't remember the last time I encountered a show-stopper.

We recently had to find drivers for about 20 different printers used in our college. Most of them were pretty old HP LaserJets, but we didn't have any driver problems. The consumer grade printers is another story though.

ptilsen

Yeah, consumer-grades are really the issue. Most HP printers made after the year 1990 can be made to work in the transition.

N2IT

@PT

What's that make up 20% of the HP printers

Just kidding those things are beast, I've seen ones from the 80's cranking out paper. They designed them to well.

4_lom

So this exam is available, or do I have to wait until September?

kremit

Is this another one of those "skip" operating systems M$ comes out with? Windows 98, skip ME, XP, Skip Vista, 7, skip 8, 9... etc..? At least they were leaving the enterprise side alone, but doesn't look like so anymore.. yikes.