Microsoft will launch Windows Vista in 6 package types. Not like Windows XP that only has 4 types of them(Starter, Home, Professional and Media Center). Windows Vista will be launched with 6. These are the specification of these type of packages :

- Windows Vista Basic
Similiar to Windows XP Starter Edition. This package's price still not announced, and targeted for a low budget consumers that don't need too much an advence visual. It will have many significant limitations, such as only allowing a user to launch three applications with a user interface at once, not accepting incoming network connections, a physical memory limit of 256 MB. What a limitation :(.

- Windows Vista Home Basic
Similar to Windows XP Home Edition, Home Basic is intended for budget users not requiring advanced media support for home use. The Windows Aero theme with translucent effects will not be included with this edition. 64-bit Home Basic will support up to 8 GB of physical memory, and will be supported until 2012. The price of it is $199.00 for a retail, and $99.95 for an upgrade from the previous Windows.

- Windows Vista Home Premium
Containing all features from Home Basic, this edition will also support more advanced features aimed for the home market segment, such as HDTV support and DVD authoring. Extra premium games, mobile and tablet PC, network projector, touchscreen, and auxiliary display (via Windows SideShow) support, and a utility to schedule backups are also included. Home Premium supports 10 simultaneous peer network connections (compared to 5 in Home Basic). The version of Meeting Space included will also allow for interaction (in Home Basic, you may only view meetings), but Remote Desktop sessions may only be received, not controlled, in this edition. This edition is comparable to Windows XP Media Center Edition. 64-bit Home Premium will support up to 16 GB of physical memory, and will be supported until 2012. The price of it is $239.00 for a retail and $159.00 for an upgrade.

-Windows Vista Bussiness
Comparable to Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, and aimed at the business market. Includes all the features of Home Premium with the exception of Windows Media Center and related technologies, Parental Controls, and Windows DVD and Movie Maker HD (the regular Movie Maker is included). Includes the IIS web server, fax support, Rights Management Services (RMS) Client, file system encryption, dual processor (two sockets) support, system image backup and recovery, offline file support, a full version of Remote Desktop, ad-hoc P2P collaboration capabilities, Previous Versions (Windows ShadowCopy), and several other business features not in Home Premium. 64-bit Business supports 128 GB of memory, and will be supported until 2017. The price of it is $299.00 for a retail, and $199.95 for an upgrade.

- Windows Vista Enterprise
This edition is aimed at the enterprise segment of the market, and is a superset of the Business edition. Additional features include multilingual user interface support, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and UNIX application support. This edition will not be available through retail or OEM channels, but through Microsoft Software Assurance. Since Enterprise is a benefit of Software Assurance (SA), it will include several SA-only benefits, including a license allowing for multiple virtual machines to be run, access to Virtual PC Express, and activation via VLK. [40] 64-bit Enterprise supports 128 GB of memory, and will be supported until 2017. The price still not announced.

- Windows Vista Ultimate
This edition combines all the features of the Home Premium and Enterprise editions, a game performance tweaker (WinSAT), and "Ultimate Extras". Microsoft has so far had little to say regarding Ultimate Extras, but they are expected to include special online services for downloadable media, as well as additional customer service options. The Ultimate edition is aimed at high-end PC users, gamers, multimedia professionals, and PC enthusiasts. 64-bit Ultimate supports 128 GB of memory, and will be supported until 2012. It is the best package of all, and has the highest hardware requirement. The price of it is $399.00 for a retail, and $259.00 for an upgrade.

And the unique thing of it is all of them has only 1 type of DVD. Only the serial number will make a difference between them.
For me personally, maybe will buy Windows Vista Ultimate, because it has so many addition in Ultimate Extras and more services. :) And how about you? What package will you purchase and why? thanks for the participation.

I'm probably going to try Windows Vista Ultimate, as I can get a free serial (MSDNAA) for either that or Business.
Though it won't be my primary OS.

Also the lesser versions don't allow you (legally) to run the same copy of Windows in a virtual environment and a dual boot. Though I can't remember which do and which don't.

I'd always go for ultimate, just because i couldn't stand the lack in features. Plus i can get it free.

Most likely I'll get the Ultimate version. My college is a part of the MSDNAA, so assuming they make it available, I'll get it for cheap. If it isn't available, I'll probably get the Ultimate version after I graduate (in two years or so). By then I'll hopefully have made enough money to buy the thing through jobs and internships, and since it would have been on the market for a few years, hopefully a lot of the bugs that are inevitable with every OS release will have been squashed. Until then, I'll stick with the dependable Windows XP Professional.

On a side note, has any research been done on where all this money goes? I know Microsoft has to pay its employees and all, but $400 for a single license seems somewhat excessive, even with all those added features.

Here is additional information for Windows Vistas Ultimate package :
List of the features in Windows Vista Ultimate :
1. Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
2. Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11 and Instant Search
3. Backup and Restore Center Ad hoc backup and recovery of user files and folders
4. Backup and Restore Center Automatic backup scheduling and Incremental backup
5. Windows Aero desktop
6. Parental Controls
7. Windows Sync Center
8. Windows Mobility Center and Tablet PC support
9. Windows Meeting Space
10. Windows Media Center
11. Xbox 360 networking
12. Advanced backup
13. Business networking and Remote Desktop
14. Previous Versions
15. Encrypting File System
16. BitLocker
17. Native DVD playback
18. Windows Movie Maker
19. Windows Movie Maker HD and Windows Movie Maker DVD
20. Speech Recognition
21. Support for simultaneous installation of multiple user interface languages
22. Windows Fax and Scan

The Screenshot of Windows Vista Ultimate package's Box

Hmm looking through that list I can't see anything that will actually be useful to me, maybe number 13, though probably not. First thing I'll have to do when I install Vista will be to disable Aero.

Maybe I'll just go for the business version instead. Though I'll still keep a few copies of XP on my computer.

You guys sure seem to have some extra cash burning at the bottom of your pockets.

Me? Staying on XP and I certainly wouldn't pay 100+ extra just for some features I probably don't need and which are freely available in any case. For example: Aero is almost the same as Dreamland -skin for WindowBlinds. Better yet, it's available on XP too. No need for anything as silly as DX10. Just check 'My Desktop' through my sig and you'll see what I mean.

Wordplay

You guys sure seem to have some extra cash burning at the bottom of your pockets.

No cash burning my pocket, even if it was Vista would be one of the last things I'd spend it on.

However I am lucky enough to be able to get Vista through the MSDNAA for free, and pomorales seems to have a similar deal albeit cheaper than the normal retail price.

I want to get Vista just to play around, I don't intend to do any work (or play) on it.

Definitely getting Ultimate. If you're a college student then there's no reason you shouldn't =] Will probably build a quad-core dual vidcard badass computer to house it. Co-op money for the win!

Yeah, that's right, Microsoft has a promotion, there are some free upgrade from Windows XP Professional to Windows Vista Bussiness. Maybe that's the DeepDragoon said. Bussiness is good enough, but I dod't like it because it has no Media Center, like the other version of Vista(except the Home Basic package). The feature is like Ultimate with these part removed :
1. Parental Control
2. Windows Media Center
3. Xbox 360 networking
4. BitLocker
5. Native DVD Playback
6. Windows Movie Maker(Both type)
7. Support for simulatenous installation of multiple user interface language.
Those feature isn't available for Windows Vista Bussiness, but is that good enough? For me it isn't @_@

My laptop has the Vista upgrade plan, but I think I'm going to stay with XP, mainly since Vista uses so much more resources than XP. I want to still be able to have more than 5 hrs of battery on my lappy.

About the laptop battery, I don't too bother it, because my laptop battery has been costumized. I've make it with the additional battery like AA and the kind. My laptop battery has some input for those kind of battery so, it won't depleted easily(because I'll always bring some battery for my camera ^^ and the battery is AA size). :)

No need for anything as silly as DX10.

Talking from a developer's point of view, DX10 rocks. (Yes, that's the technical term) The only downside to it is that it is limited to Vista only, so those of us that would love to write games for it still have to make a DX9 engine for people on XP or older.

Just realize that no matter what you think, DX10 will never be made available on XP or older, it requires things in the low-level OS that aren't available. So if a game ever requires DX10 (like Crysis), and they will, you will be out of luck if you haven't upgraded.

Just so you know ^_-

Seriously, what's the point in having six versions of one crappy operating system?

Well, Microsoft seems to offer several versions of Windows Vista "to satisfy all kinds of users". Well my ass to that, as home user you basically got only 2 options: Home Premium or Ultimate. Vista Starter (or Basic) is useless, Home Basic lacks a lot of handy options, so isn't much more (or in fact less) than Windows XP Home. Enterprise is unavailable for private use, Business lacks all entertainment options. Thank you Microsoft.

As gamer, photoshopper and movie watcher, there is only one option for me: Vista Ultimate. I'll be buying it with my next pc, which is planned to be built next summer.