According to an announcement from the Microsoft website, the next-generation operating system from the company – Windows Vista will have 6 official versions and 2 versions specifically for the European region.
The official versions of Windows Vista include: Windows Starter 2007; Windows Vista Enterprise; Windows Vista Home Basic; Windows Vista Home Premium; Windows Vista Ultimate; Windows Vista Business; Windows Vista Home Basic N; and Windows Vista Business N.
The last two versions of Vista (marked with “N”) will be designated for the European region as they do not include Windows Media Player, following a recent mandatory ruling by the EU court in the antitrust case against Microsoft.
It is still unclear whether the streamlined version, Windows Starter 2007, will have a pricing mechanism similar to that of Windows XP Starter Edition. This is a budget version of Windows that has reduced features, intended solely for developing countries.
All new versions of Windows Vista will come with features that have already become familiar with operating systems like Windows XP Media Center Edition and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Entertainment features will remain integrated for free in the new operating systems rather than being separated out.
However, the announcement from Microsoft did not mention the Windows Vista Small Business Edition, which has been referenced by the company in recent times. Additionally, there is still no information regarding the 64-bit versions of Windows Vista.
According to Microsoft, the Windows Vista versions will include exciting games. Three versions: Vista Business, Home, and Enterprise will support mobile connectivity, similar to the capabilities provided for the current 6 versions of Windows XP, which include: XP Home, Professional, Media Center, Tablet PC, Professional x64, and Windows XP N.
