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FutureTech · Jan 17, 2007, 12:29 AM

Sorry if this has been posted but I thought someone might find this amusing.
Amazon.com: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate UPGRADE Signature Edition [DVD]: Software

ink · Jan 17, 2007, 12:42 AM

SPAM is amusing?

Railroader · Jan 17, 2007, 01:30 AM

Obviously you don't get the joke.

vinster · Jan 17, 2007, 01:42 AM

Same thing as Windows Vista Ultimate Edition except the packaging has Bill Gates' printed signature on it. The packaging kind of reminds me of a bottle of fine cognac, which is what I'd want to drink if I had to use it as my primary OS.

scaught · Jan 17, 2007, 03:12 PM

Wait. That's real?

Kerrigan · Jan 17, 2007, 03:20 PM

You know the idiot customers at Best Buy will love that. "Signature.. hmm.. that says classy to me."

Dakar² · Jan 17, 2007, 03:25 PM

There are so many words I had to count twice.

7 word long name. Excellent.

Rumor · Jan 17, 2007, 03:25 PM

Buy one and then sell it for more on eBay.

ink · Jan 17, 2007, 05:11 PM

Somehow I doubt they'll be in limited supply

mdc · Jan 17, 2007, 05:54 PM

That's exactly what I've always wanted. A signed copy of Windows.

Oisín · Jan 17, 2007, 05:59 PM

Product Dimensions: 3 pounds
Shipping Weight: 1.06 pounds

I beg your pardon?

Wait... hang on... Vista’s out?

imitchellg5 · Jan 17, 2007, 06:02 PM

On January 30th it is.

voodoo · Jan 17, 2007, 07:32 PM

HAHA

Billy boy's signature edition

OMFG... (and various other 1337 explicits)..

No thanks. How much of a Windows fanboi do you need to be to fall for that scheme?

V

scaught · Jan 17, 2007, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by Oisín

I beg your pardon?

Wait... hang on... Vista’s out?

Amazon takes **** out of the box before sending it to you.

JoshuaZ · Jan 17, 2007, 08:41 PM

I saw a wonderful ad for VISTA in a 7-11 near my school. It looked rather overly techy and overly hip for the usual 7-11 crowd.

All I can say is `ewwwwwwwwwwwwww`

Brien · Jan 17, 2007, 09:09 PM

That's pretty lame.

Sub · 06:31 PM

Christ. Thank god Apple waited to launch Leopard, who knows how many more ideas Microsoft could have taken. I mean wtf didn't they steal.

Strupat · Jan 18, 2007, 12:27 AM

Originally Posted by Sub

Christ. Thank god Apple waited to launch Leopard, who knows how many more ideas Microsoft could have taken. I mean wtf didn't they steal.

macroy · Jan 18, 2007, 12:31 AM

You know... I sent this to a few buddies today.... and they all said the same thing. "you're assuming I actually pay for my MS Software".

Which got me thinking... I can't remember the last time I had to BUY a Microsoft OS or Office product. Its either bundled with the system you're buying.. or you get it from work.

Also, isn't microsoft OS's about that much anyways? I though XP Pro was like $200 if you just got one license from like CDW or something.

Kerrigan · Jan 18, 2007, 12:35 AM

I wonder if it says Signature Edition as it boots up?

Gossamer · Jan 18, 2007, 12:39 AM

Originally Posted by Sub

Christ. Thank god Apple waited to launch Leopard, who knows how many more ideas Microsoft could have taken. I mean wtf didn't they steal.

The ease of use, security, and tastefulness.

We have the enterprise edition at work (it was released Nov. 30th) and I'm not very impressed. Everything's hard to find, control panels are mixed up, split apart, and unintuitive.
Microsoft's versions can be found at this link.
Home Basic is $199, Home Premium is $239, Business is $299, and Ultimate is $399.
It looks like the for the $40 you pay to go from basic to premium, you get mobility and tablet support, media center support, network sharing options, and, oh yeah, the AERO INTERFACE. They actually stripped out the new interface in the base configuration. If that's not a bait and switch, I don't know what is.

I predict the torrent sites will be busy.

CheesePuff · Jan 18, 2007, 01:03 AM

Originally Posted by macroy

Also, isn't microsoft OS's about that much anyways? I though XP Pro was like $200 if you just got one license from like CDW or something.

XP Pro is about $180 now for the full version.

But look again at the link... $260 for an UPGRADE.

CheesePuff · Jan 18, 2007, 01:03 AM

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

I wonder if it says Signature Edition as it boots up?

and it contains his digital signature on the boot screen

SpaceMonkey · Jan 18, 2007, 01:06 AM

Apple should counter by selling limited edition copies of Leopard that ship with scraps of Steve's black turtleneck fabric in the boxes.

CheesePuff · Jan 18, 2007, 01:06 AM

Originally Posted by Gossamer

The ease of use, security, and tastefulness.

Home Basic is $199, Home Premium is $239, Business is $299, and Ultimate is $399.
It looks like the for the $40 you pay to go from basic to premium, you get mobility and tablet support, media center support, network sharing options, and, oh yeah, the AERO INTERFACE. They actually stripped out the new interface in the base configuration. If that's not a bait and switch, I don't know what is.

What's the interface on Home Basic then? The Windows XP Luna theme I'm assuming?

Gossamer · Jan 18, 2007, 01:48 AM

Originally Posted by CheesePuff

What's the interface on Home Basic then? The Windows XP Luna theme I'm assuming?

That would be funny. Especially since I can guarantee the interface will be the #1 reason most people upgrade...
Luckily every version comes with the feature of "Most Secure Windows Ever" (according to the link)

CheesePuff · Jan 18, 2007, 02:09 AM

Ah well not too far off...

The Home Basic edition will look like this:
Image:Windows Vista Basic.png - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and the Premium editions will look like:
Image:Windows Aero.png - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I guess Aero is just the new interface with translucent effects and what not

FutureTech · 04:48 AM

Now I don't have a Mac yet because i'm in the slow process of saving for one but the great thing about Apple OS is that you only need to buy one version (the only version) of the software and it comes with all the features and at a decent price.

FutureTech · Jan 18, 2007, 04:33 AM

sorry, double post.

Gossamer · Jan 18, 2007, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by FutureTech

(the only version)

Apple - Mac OS X Server

ink · Jan 18, 2007, 11:49 AM

Does Apple still offer security updates for 10.0? Windows XP was out back then. Since then, I've bought 10.1 ($20, iirc), 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4 (about $120 each) -- the grand total coming to well over the price of XP or Vista.

CheesePuff · Jan 18, 2007, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by Gossamer

Apple - Mac OS X Server

OK, true. But for non-server editions Microsoft has what, 5 different versions? Then when you get into servers they have Small Business, 10-license, 100-license, unlimited, etc. which adds another good 5+ flavors into the mix. Apple has I believe a 10-license and unlimited (which is FAR FAR cheaper then Microsofts unlimited).

CheesePuff · Jan 18, 2007, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by ink

Does Apple still offer security updates for 10.0? Windows XP was out back then. Since then, I've bought 10.1 ($20, iirc), 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4 (about $120 each) -- the grand total coming to well over the price of XP or Vista.

If you bought Mac OS X 10.0 and did not receive it on a new Mac when you bought it, and you bought each upgrade at retail value the total would be $360.00 to get you to OS X 10.4 today. The price of Windows Vista Ultimate is the same. So then throw on Windows XP Pro and you have almost double the price.

Gossamer · Jan 18, 2007, 01:29 PM

Not to mention:
1. Apple actually added new, usable features at each point update
2. If you didn't want to update, you were pretty much fine. It's quite possible to use 10.2 today and get by great

mdc · Jan 18, 2007, 02:09 PM

If you went with the standard Apple Educational discount you'd be spending $69 on each copy. In my opinion $69 is very affordable for an OS.

ink · Jan 18, 2007, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by CheesePuff

If you bought Mac OS X 10.0 and did not receive it on a new Mac when you bought it, and you bought each upgrade at retail value the total would be $360.00 to get you to OS X 10.4 today. The price of Windows Vista Ultimate is the same. So then throw on Windows XP Pro and you have almost double the price.

10.0 came with my 2001 iBook; so for me the overall price of OS X is comparable to Windows Vista Ultimate -- its just that OS X has more releases. The "upgrade" version of Vista Ultimate is $249 at Amazon, so OS X is actually a bit more expensive.

Of course, my only wintel box is still running Windows 2000 just fine, so...

It's mostly used for taxes and children's games.

Gossamer · Jan 18, 2007, 02:27 PM

For those of you that haven't heard yet, according to the license agreement that you have to accept with Home Basic and Home Premium, you cannot use them with virtualization. There's nothing technical stopping it from happening, but you're technically going against Microsoft's wishes. (source) So apparently someone's 'not ready' for virtualization unless they pay an extra $60 for the business version.

Peter · Jan 18, 2007, 02:40 PM

actually I think it wont install if it detects its on an emulated device...

Gossamer · Jan 18, 2007, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by Peter

actually I think it wont install if it detects its on an emulated device...

Not according to that article

According to the Gartner analyst, Microsoft's decision is derived from a license restriction, not a technical one. So, a consumer who wants to run Windows Vista under VMware on a Mac, for instance, will violate Microsoft's EULA, he added.

Microsoft said developers who obtain Windows Vista Home Basic or Windows Vista Home Premium through their MSDN subscription may use those programs within a virtual machine to assist them in designing, developing, testing and demonstrating their programs.

Gossamer · Jan 19, 2007, 04:16 AM

And here's the list from Microsoft's support site.

By the way, did you know one support email will cost $99, and a phone call costs $245? ($490 for after hours...ouch.)

Rumor · Jan 19, 2007, 05:43 AM

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ

I saw a wonderful ad for VISTA in a 7-11 near my school. It looked rather overly techy and overly hip for the usual 7-11 crowd.

All I can say is `ewwwwwwwwwwwwww`

Wait, they have 7-11's in Japan??

Oisín · Jan 19, 2007, 05:55 AM

’Course they do... why wouldn’t they?

Rumor · Jan 19, 2007, 06:02 AM

I thought 7-11 was just a US company.