Comments

1. someone

   
   Posted on: September 25, 2008 at 12:55AM  

   The quality and value of Ultimate Extras is so so bad. I would rather prefer the beefed up Windows 7 accessories offered as Ultimate Extras. Heck, even the downloadable extras when WGA was introduced were better. Give us the Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset as an extra. Give us the Media Center TV Pack as an extra. Give us Microsoft consumer software such as Works, Streets & Trips, Math, or Money as an extra. Three DreamScene videos you say, but I say just one DreamScene video in 3 color varieties! As all others are demanding, I would like some extras that enhance the features of the actual Vista operating system.
2. MDOC

   
   Posted on: September 25, 2008 at 1:30AM  

   Thanks for the clarification, Brandon.
3. R.Kruisselbrink

   
   Posted on: September 25, 2008 at 4:14AM  

   I agree with jaxim...

   In particular, points 2 and 4.

   Tabbed explorer... i had this idea for a while now and was thinking of building it myself, but no time ;-)

   And the backup just back's-up... something, not even sure what and that's a shame.
4. lightchpa

   
   Posted on: September 25, 2008 at 5:59AM  

   Hi,

   I recently purchased a new laptop with Vista Ultimate and integrated TV Tuner.

   Vista média center allow recording only in dvr-ms format witch are not supported by most of the XviD encoding tools.

   I think the possibility to select the recording format (dvr-ms or classical MPEG / MPEG2) would be a great Extra feature.

   Have a nice day !
5. m3585

   
   Posted on: September 25, 2008 at 8:39AM  

   "Today we are excited to announce that 3 new Windows Ultimate Extras are now available for installation via Windows Update!"

   You are really excited about this?

   Are stupid statements like this and the ridiculous Mojave nonsense an indication of what we have to look forward to from Microsoft in the future.  Microsoft Bob was less embarrassing.
6. MacDaddy

   
   Posted on: September 25, 2008 at 10:54AM  

   As a business owner the extras program is a fraud. Games make my users less productive and dreamscene is so resource intensive it takes away from tasks my users need to perform.

   These extras are a COMPLETE DISASTER because not only are language packs and card games a joke, but as a business we get nothing other than bitlocker, which should already have been included with the business edition. In any case, it's certainly not worth $50+ to have bitlocker as that makes it one of the single most expensive options out there.

   Where is a decent backup toolset? Where are the optimization tools? Streets and Trips is a great idea (although Google does this much better). Can Microsoft not throw us a bone every once in a while?

   I'm disgusted with the whole extras program and I hope someone sues the pants off of Microsoft for an absolute and utter failure. I feel completely shafted.

   John McGreeley

   Summit IT Solutions and Consulting Services
7. shollomon

   
   Posted on: September 25, 2008 at 1:24PM  

   There is much to like about Vista and I prefer it to XP and all the Linux Distros I have worked with (I wouldn't consider using Linux on the desktop any more than I would consider using Windows on a server).  I may even prefer Vista to OSX, but I haven't worked with OSX.  

   However, Ultimate Extras are a sore spot for me.  I feel violated every time I think about the extra money I spent apparently to no purpose.  MS needs to make things right for their best customers by providing something of value.  What's been provided so far has no value, or in the case of Dreamscene, negative value for me.
8. eberge

   
   Posted on: September 25, 2008 at 3:49PM  

   I agree on the tabbed explorer request.

   I'd also like to see a multi-desktop capability that works a bit more cleanly that the old Microsoft Powertoys Desktop Manager.
9. KnoxITPro

   
   Posted on: September 25, 2008 at 4:05PM  

   MacDaddy,

   Somehow i just cant begin to believe that you work for an IT consulting firm, but don't seem to know that bitlocker is also included in Vista Enterprise (the business version for Volume Licensing.)

   Infact, most any IT dept or IT consulting firm with any sense recommends Volume Licensing for business use. Even further, you can limit the use of games and other things like dreamscene via group policy, etc (or just dont install them).

   Dreamscene doesnt even run unless the background is visible. Once a window overtakes the desktop, dreamscene isnt processing that video any longer.

   Shouldnt you know all this?
10. nycbesad

    
    Posted on: September 25, 2008 at 6:30PM  

    The good news is that you can be 100% sure there won't be any Windows 7 Ultimate Edition to worry about.