14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most accessible Windows Vista comparisons is dormant on your own desktop, provided that you are running the latest operating system from Microsoft. Windows Vista users can access a Comparison Matrix introduced into the operating system, with the exception of the Ultimate edition. All you have to do is open up the Start Menu and enter "Windows Anytime Upgrade" in the Search box and hit enter on the highlighted result. From the Windows Anytime Upgrade dialog box, you can actually evaluate the editions of Vista. In the screenshot at the bottom, I have included the Windows Vista Business vs. Ultimate Comparison Matrix produced by my edition of the operating system.
As you can see, only a handful of features recommend Ultimate over Business. In my opinion, not enough to justify the difference between the $399 and $299 price tags. For example, Microsoft emphasizes Windows Ultimate Extras, available exclusively for the high-end edition of Vista. Still, Ultimate Extras is a big disappointment from Microsoft, and simply not worth the extra money. When it comes down to it, Ultimate will permit access to the Windows BitLocker drive encryption, to Windows Media Center and will enable users to run UNIX programs on Vista.
In case you wish to access a more complete comparison of the two operating systems, follow this link. Here you will find an exhaustive enumeration of the features in all the main editions of the operating system. The best way to actually compare the Vistas, is to install them all on your machine and test-drive them from 30 to 120 days. You will be able to do so in a virtual machine, and Virtual PC 2007 from Microsoft is one solution, or you can also run dual-boot or multi-boot configurations. Microsoft also allows users to test-drive Windows Vista Enterprise free of charge, the edition reserved for Software Assurance customers via volume licensing.
