Disappointment for all MSDNAA users

[Silent Shark]

If you use the MSDN Academic Alliance (MSDNAA) to get free Microsoft software from your 'education institute' (I get XP free from my University), then there is an announcement regarding Vista:

"Attention MSDN Academic Alliance Members
Hello MSDN AA administrators and thank you for your interest in Windows
Vista! We are pleased to announce that Windows Vista Business Edition will
be included in your MSDN AA subscription shipment in January 2007, and is
expected to be posted here by December 1, 2006."

Business Edition. I would have preferred Ultimate, or at least Home Premium! Why can't we get the version available to the rest of the MSDN network??

Sorry, I was relying on this to get my copy of Vista, and all we get is this . Now if I want Ultimate, I have to choose between a PS3 and Vista .

[Splash]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but why would someone using it for academic purposes need Ultimate? I can understand you being hacked off, but still...

[Silent Shark]

I know... it is a bit cheeky trying to get Ultimate, but we still got XP Pro, Home, x64 and other editions, so I was hoping for the same with Vista.

[muddyfox470]

I thought Business Edition was better than Ultimate?

I would be thankful that you get it free

[ikonia]

well you don't get it - perhaps you should have paid for the MSDN full subscription rather than the AA version.

As mentioned ultimate edition hardley fits education

[Silent Shark]

Well, ok then. Ignore my rant and just take the post as an informative one to anyone on the MSDNAA about Vista availability.

We get Visual Studio 2005 and other things like Win XP Embedded, so with these kinds of technical programs floating around I was hoping for the most technically capable version of Vista around. If you're going to be developing software, surely you'd want to have a full OS to do it in. I don't know... I'm just disappointed. I'll have to join the rest of the world now and pay the extortionate price from Microsoft (do we have any final price figures yet?).

[Splash]

as far as I can tell Business is as fully featured an OS as Ultimate, Ultimate has the MCE capability etc as an extra.

Out of interest did you get MCE from MSDNAA?

[Silent Shark]

MCE 2004 was there. I don't know if 2005 was available (the Uni did not have the space to host everything on the network, so they only put up requested isos).

If Business is as fully featured as you say, then I'm less disappointed. I'll have to look into it.

EDIT: It seems you are right. Business lacks Media Center but gains a few business-oriented tools. That's good news.
Also, I asked a friend, and he got his copy of MCE 2005 from our MSDNAA Admin guy at Uni. He had to go and see him rather than downloading it, but he doesn't know why.

I've investigated further (using the comparisons on http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista_02.asp) and I'm fully reassured. I had no idea what 'Business' actually was. I thought it was a vastly stripped down version that would run Office but not much else. I'll alter my first post a bit to reflect that .

[TheAnimus]

basically ultimate is not been released with volume license keys, so would be too difficult for MS to ship as MSDNAA. Oh well its still a free lunch, sort off.

[Silent Shark]

There are other options. Personally, I'd only want Ultimate for the Media Center stuff. There may be a way of shoe-horning in the software like there was with XP. I might be able to upgrade to Ultimate using Windows Anytime Upgrade. I could also use a 3rd party equivalent. There are many options.

I apologize for the anger in my original post. I'm willing to admit it when I get things wrong. I should just be grateful that I get it free at all!

P.S. Is it possible to change the topic title? I edited the title of the 1st post, but that didn't do it.

[Splash]

Glad you're not quite so hacked off. I'd kill for a free version of Business as I run a domain at home...