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ultimate let down, not ultimate extras....

what exactly did I pay extra for? other then the ability to run IIS and still have the premium goodies Media center etc....

So will this cause me to rush out and buy an upgrade from Home Premium to Ultimate?

I think not.

in addition to the above post: some extras suggestions for MS

1) Vista Life Long One Care Service

2) 20+ GB of free online storage (for as long as vista is here)

3) Free ASP.NET web hosting (domain name extra)

4) Ability to do "Fresh Install" without gimiks

5) Super Duper Priority RROD xbox 360 over night replacment

meason

What people paid extra for was a copy of Windows Vista that had all the features of both Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Enterprise.

Assuming you meant "paid extra" by comparison with Home Premium, that means the extra was for:

Complete PC Backup and Restore (Image based)

Shadow Copy (restore previous versios of your documents)

128GB+ RAM support on 64-bit systems (16GB on Home Pro)

Two processor (two physical sockets) support

Small Business Resources

Windows Fax and Scan

Wireless Networking Provisioning

Full Windows Mobility Center (subset in Home Premium)

Offline Folder Support

System image-based backup and recovery

Encrypting file system

Desktop deployment tools for managed networks

Policy-based quality of service for networking

Windows Rights Management Services Client

Control over installation of device drivers

Network Access Protection Client Agent

Windows Bitlocker drive encryption

Support for simultaneout installation of multiple UI languages

All worldwide UI languages

Subsystem for UNIX-based applications

Microsoft has failed miserably on Ultimate Extras.  Not suprising though, they always fail at stuff like this.

Ultimate Extras is not what I was expecting.  I probably would still buy it if I had it all over to do again.  I hate limitations.  Even if the features are something I don't need, just the thought that I'm not getting everything I can is enough to drive me crazy (if I'm not already there).

I still dig my giant back lit Windows start button.  

There should be a class action suit against them for this crap.

Mike

Just admit MS lied when they advertised (and still do) Ultimate extras. Someone might actually listen when you babble about OS X secret features again. Who knows.

Class action lawsuit?

You'd be a freaking idiot if you bought Ultimate just for Ultimate Extras.

BitLocker, Full PC backup and restore and RDP differentiate Ultimate sufficiently from Home Premium to warrant a $60 MSRP difference (which could be lesser at retail.)

Class action?

Mum

Once again, Ultimate is for people who want all the features of all the versions. Ultimate Extras is not the same thing. It's a freebie bonus given to people who bought Ultimate.

Personally, I need Ulitmate because my home computer is also sometimes used for corporate things. If you don't need both, get Home Premium for your home and Business or Enterprise for your business.

btw: I find Tinker addictive but I'm a sucker for that type of game.

Extras are just that...extras. They didn't state mind expanding/blowing, knock your socks off extra software. In fact, I'm not sure if any extras were advertised. To me, extras are something for free. What do you want for free? I had no high expectations, I just wanted the full Vista suite in Ultimate, so I would never be limited.

Is Ultimate Extras like Microsoft Plus was for Windows 95?

Does anyone else notice some horrible noise on top of what would otherwise be a gorgeous dreamscene?

Looks like an analog TV signal that's not quite tuned right.

Paul Thurrott noted Microsoft actually updates Ultimate Extras. Sadly the content (one game, a sound theme and some backgrounds) are...

Master3

They're sort of like the Plus Packs but the Plus Pack for Windows 95 was a special case. It also included items that the Windows team wanted to put in Windows 95 but that required the latest hardware. For example, the Plus Pack was the first place that Internet Explorer was available. (At the time, very few people had an ISP unless they were at a tech corporation, a government agency or a university)

mdsharpe

They're looking OK on my system. Are you current on your video driver?

At least it's something. I had written the UEs as dead a long time ago. Even this crap is better than nothing.

Boooo!!!!!

Ultimate jokes and practical mistakes. This is the best that Microsoft could do? I'm sorry but that really isn't good enough. Yes, I am a Vista Ultimate user.

@mikegalos

"What do you expect for free?"

Ahem, not so fast bud. Many copies of Vista were sold not only as the superset of all the Vista SKU's, but also for the Ultimate Extras. So, its not for free. This is a feature paid for by Windows users and Microsoft has let the users down. There should be a ton more game options. There should be master tweaking programs for Vista. That much touted Windows Media Center update codenamed Fiji, would have made a nice Ultimate Extra. I hate to say it Mike, with all due respect, but Microsoft has not delivered on Ultimate extras, IMO.

"Boooo!!!!!"

You sound like a Democrat at the RNC.

Go Colts! Go Redskins!

subzero

I don't know who you're quoting but I listed a fairly huge group of actual features that are included in Windows Vista Ultimate and didn't say "What do you expect for free"

Now, I don't know about you but I've gotten Ultimate Extras. Maybe you wanted different toys but, frankly, I have no use for an add-on driver kit that allows some European cable TV systems to work with Media Center.

(And since it was only Mary Jo Foley that touted what I suspect you mean by the touted codename Fiji, maybe you should ask her for a copy or at least why she published such wrong guesses as fact because Microsoft never said they were shipping anything that matched her claims.)

shark47 said, "You sound like a Democrat at the RNC. "

First, thanks for the compliment.

Actually, I would go to the RNC Convention to boo them. First Ammendment, gives me right to peacefully assemble, protest, and redress of grievances. I have many of them with the Grand Old Party. Considering how my wages and the wages of everyone I know around me hass a lot less purchasing power in the last 8 years of Bush, I have every right to boo them.

@Mike,

The Ultimate extras presented are laughable at best. I just think Microsoft needs to raise the bar here and get serious. As for the Fiji update, how about when you're on vacation in Europe? That would be handy for the travelers. I'm just saying there a lot that could be done with Extras, that isn't being done. We all know that Mary Jo fumbled on that issue. I'm just saying as a part of a larger and regular series of Extras, it would show Microsoft is looking after those people who popped up the extra coinage for Ultimate.

"Actually, I would go to the RNC Convention to boo them. "

:-)

About the Extras - be happy. You get Texas Hold 'em for free. :-)

Seriously, though. I think Microsoft is doing the right thing by improving the basic user experience of Vista, before it concentrates on the extras. Of course, they should come out and admit that the extras aren't really all that good. What I am disappointed about are Sidebar gadgets and Windows Sideshow.

"Seriously, though. I think Microsoft is doing the right thing by improving the basic user experience of Vista, before it concentrates on the extras."

Did anyone read the article by Daniel Lyons in the latest issue of Newsweek? The article repeats some of the old BS that we've been hearing - HP is working on another mini-OS, Lenovo is not upgrading its own computers and so on. Whether real or perceived and whether or not you think Daniel Lyons is an idiot (which I do), it's obvious that Microsoft has bigger problems than Ultimate Extras.

Subzero,

You'd have to take a vacation in Europe that was long enough to justify taking your media center with you and sign up for a cable TV account where you were vacationing. I'm pretty sure that the tiny group that would apply to isn't enough to justify providing a changed media center to everyone on the planet that has a copy of Ultimate.

Now, personally, I'd love to see more done with the Ultimate Extras channel. What I don't like is people thinking that Vista Ultimate is nothing but the Ultimate Extras. That's like saying (assuming the screen shots are accurate) that Windows "7" should live or die on whether the new calculator has enough features.

Shark

All I've seen lately by Dan Lyons is his blog http://realdanlyons.com/ where he talks about:

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain playing the theme from Shaft.

The same deceptive iPhone 3G speed ad that was discussed here

Comparing Apple's iPhone developer program with Seinfeld's Soup Nazi episode where he channels Fake Steve Jobs saying "What the heck is wrong with that? Yes, we’re putting Apple ahead of everyone else. Yes, we’re doing what’s best for Apple. And what’s best for Apple is best for you. So sit back and relax, people. Insert your earbuds, put your blindfolds back on, and put your feet back up. We’re taking care of things for you."

The iPhone's poor sales in Japan

A picture of Kim Jong-il in place of Steve Jobs under the "Rumors of my death" slide at the Apple iPod event.

I have to say that I am similarly disappointed that Microsoft hasn't done anything useful on the Ultimate Extras front. In Australia, Vista Ultimate was AU$751 at retail, and given the massive mark up compared to Home Premium, you would think there would be more of value, notwithstanding the additional backup and corporate features.

But what particularly irks me is that Microsoft has also done nothing with Gadgets. There has not been any meaningful update to first-party gadgets since Vista's release, and that's a shame. There's a real opportunity to make this channel more useful and more extensible. MacOS is still way ahead on this front, even though they copied from Konfabulator.

Finally, the new Windows Live "Wave 3" programs are not too bad. But, WL Movie Maker Beta is, quite frankly, a joke. Virtually every useful feature available in regular Windows Movie Maker (which shipped with Vista), has been stripped away. There are no timelines, extremely limited export options, extremely limited transition options and a whole lot less. The interface shows promise, but this program is useless, even if you make lots of youtube videos.

Pingback from  ??? Windows Ultimate Extras ???????????? | LiveSino - LiveSide ?????????

mikegalos,

Yep, got the latest nvidia driver. Will try copying one of the video files to another PC and see if I can see the effect there.

Just got to work and watched the vids on my work PC. Same noisy effect.

Looking at any particular frame of the video when paused, some sort of image compression is clearly visible and my guess is that's what's causing it (Particularly in the lower left corner).

"Once again, Ultimate is for people who want all the features of all the versions. Ultimate Extras is not the same thing. It's a freebie bonus given to people who bought Ultimate."

"Freebie"? Yeah, right...! If they didn't suck so bad then you'd no doubt be touting them as a great reason to buy Ultimate. The way I see it extras are features you paid for in advance and then Microsoft didn't deliver.

It's no surprise that new Ultimate Extras take so long to appear. I'm sure after each wave of new Extras, half of the development team ends up in hospital from depression, given the reception their work receives :-)

And @msharpe: You're right, the new videos indeed look a bit noisy. Don't think there's something wrong with your screen oder video drivers...

regardless of the other features that make Vista Ultimate a superset of all other editions, the "ultimate extras" were touted as a bonus for purchasers - and that they have under-delivered is pretty certain.

@gorath: Thats debatable. Apart from the fact that there would be Ultimate Extras, i don't recall any touting as to what these Extras would be and how often they'd appear.

Well, here are the Extras, and they are a bonus for purchasers. If they don't meet your expectations, and if they were the reason to buy Ultimate, well, don't buy 'em. At least next time...

hmm, I guess so. It just feels like a letdown.

"Well, here are the Extras, and they are a bonus for purchasers. If they don't meet your expectations, and if they were the reason to buy Ultimate, well, don't buy 'em. At least next time..."

In other words they could have mailed doggie poop to customers with "Extras" sticker on it and that would have been ok because they didn't specify what "Extras" would be.

Mike, here's the article I was talking about: www.newsweek.com/.../160064

RobertC, regarding Live "Wave 3", it's still in beta and clearly not feature complete.  

"In other words they could have mailed doggie poop to customers with "Extras" sticker on it and that would have been ok because they didn't specify what "Extras" would be."

I agree that they could've done more with Extras, but really, what did y'all expect out of this? They did what they did. The Extras are nothing to write home about. If you purchased Vista Ultimate hoping to get great 'freebies', you're going to be let down by this. But, really, why would anyone buy Vista Ultimate just for the Extras? The problem is that the Windows group promised something and did not meet people's expectations. On the other hand, I'm not sure Office Ultimate is anything more than a superset of all other versions. They promised nothing more and no one seems to be disappointed.

I liked my message so much, I got it approved by both Presidential candidates.

"I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message."

"I'm Sarah Palin and I approve this message."

Sub, I was the one asking what do you want for free. Sorry. I'll never ask again:)

PS

Got 125 tulip bulbs in the ground so far. Got 65 more to plant. WTF was I thinking???? Oh yeh, plant tulips for the wife. My aching back!

@Sharky - You might be right about Palin being the back door GOP nominee...or at least the one that brought life back into the campaign...but Obama and Biden need to use Live Mesh to sync their stories up.

"I'm Joe Biden, and FDR was president in 1929 and appeared on the yet to be invented television to discuss the stock market crash."

--tayme

tayme, the less Joe Biden and Michelle Obama speak, the better it is for them.

@RAAJ

I did not buy Ultimate for the extras. I bought it because I needed the additional tools it provided.

I think you need to be a little more considerate.

rjohn05:

@ September 23, 2008 3:56 PM you  said:

"There should be a class action suit against them for this crap."

Now you say you bought Ultimate for the additional tools it provided. Why the false outrage against MSFT for something that was never advertised as the [or one of the] main reason(s) for buying the UItimate version? I ask you again.

Class action lawsuit?

Do you have a demonstrable case where a significant chunk of Ultimate users were harmed because MSFT did not meet expectations about one feature they never promised would be updated regularly in the first place?

What is your point exactly?

So...

Not sure about a class action lawsuit, but let's be honest. The Ultimate Extras are few and far between and they're all over the map. An enterprise tool for Bitlocker Drive Encryption and a silly little game bundled as part of the same package? Spare me.

It's no understatement to say that Extras is an embarrassment. My only real concern, though, is why Microsoft disappears for months at a time ... and then silently releases this silliness.

BTW... Tinker is actually a cute game. It's no reason to buy Ultimate. But then either is the entire Extras package.

shark

That article's pretty silly. Virtually every line of it's been said here by some of the silliest posters. Even down to using the NPD numbers.

OT, just out of curiosity, why do so many people now refer to Microsoft as MSFT? When, and why did that become 'cool'?

Mike, I agree with you. His article even starts off with, "Last year I was meeting with the CEO of a PC company..." We're almost in the 10th month of this year. Last year is a long time ago. Lot of things have changed since then. Even SP1 wasn't out, I think. Anyway, my point is, such articles are a bigger concern for MS. The average Joe doesn't care about the Ultimate Extras, but he does read these articles. Ultimate Extras understandably  have a low priority in MS.

I really don't think that a lawsuit would have much or any merit, but now you guys got me curious to see if my kids will like the game. Do you think that an 8 yr old can do it? Heck, my kids enjoy the clip art fron Office 2004 and 2007. They will sit for an hour adding many types of pics to a word document. Thankfully, we are given 3 licenses from MS [or MSFT as above...am I cool now?]. That's pretty generous and a very nice feature as I would imagine that many households have more than one computer.

shark

Yeah. My initial response to the "last year I met with a PC CEO" story was, "gee, I wonder if the CEO of that PC company got his dev team to fix their broken hibernation driver or just figured he'd blame Microsoft and save some dev money?"

Lyons has another silly one up talking about how Android's introduction to the smartphone market is equivalent to what would have happened if Linux had come out during the OS wars of the early 1990s rather than after Windows had become so universal. Of course, he totally missed that Linux actually DID come out then.

Footnote for the historically challenged: Linux first shipped in 1991 when the dominent desktop OS was MS-DOS, Apple's brand new System 7 was the dominent GUI and the dominent player in the industry was pushing OS/2 as the future.

mdsharpe

They really are running fine here. I wonder if it's a widescreen vs 4:3 ratio thing. I'm running a wide display. Maybe I have noise but it's being clipped to fit the screen.

DRWAM

It's essentially a logic puzzle game. The tutorial levels are good at teaching how to play but this type of game appeals to some people (like me) and others find them mind-numbingly boring (like my wife) and that's without even getting into age ranges.

Thanks Mike. I will check it out.

Mike,

nope, widescreen vs 4:3 is not be the reason, methinks.

I have a 1920x1200 wide display on my Notebook here, and there''s noise in the upper and lower left corner and in the upper right corner. i.e, in the darkest parts of the image.

The reason might be sensor induced noise that adds up to some form of a dynamic Moirée pattern in the video.

cgdams

Wierd. I just tried it again to be sure (and even set it run real size to make sure nothing was clipped) and it's fine.

I'm running 1680x1050 on an nVidia 8800GTS with driver version 177.92

Oh, and running the PANTONE/gretagmacbeth Huey 1.05 monitor color calibration system.