Similar to Windows Vista, Microsoft’s upcoming operating system will be available in several editions, each with a different feature set.

IF YOU THOUGHT that Microsoft had learned all its lessons with Windows Vista, you’ll soon be disappointed. Although the Windows 7 beta, which was released to the public in mid-January, is receiving mostly positive reviews, revelations that Microsoft plans to release six different flavors of Windows 7 have left many in the tech world wondering why the company would again subject customers to such a confusing product matrix.

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Microsoft says that it will steer most users toward Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional. For business users the company recommends either Professional or Enterprise. The company also says that it will use a single disc image of the operating system, which means that you’ll receive all of the editions on your installation disc (or on a new computer); if you decide to upgrade to another version, you’ll simply have to pay for an unlock code.

Each version of Windows 7 will be a superset of the previous version, says Microsoft , so you won’t lose any features if you upgrade. Many analysts and users have been critical of the company’s decision to issue multiple versions of Vista. O at move generated consumer confusion as to which version might be best to buy, and it created compatibility issues with both software and hardware when users upgraded from Windows XP to Vista. Lastly, many people perceived the tactic as a way for Microsoft to charge vastly diferent prices for versions of Vista that provide features oV ering little beneW t to end users. As of this writing, we don’t yet know about Windows 7 pricing or availability (some experts speculate that it will be out early next year). Below is a breakdown of what we do know about the differences among the versions.

First off , users of XP and Vista will be able to upgrade their OS licenses to Windows 7. The catch is that you’ll still have to perform a clean installation of Windows 7, meaning you’ll need to reinstall programs and back up and replace data.

Windows 7 Starter Edition

The Starter Edition is aimed mainly at emerging markets and at netbook users. With this edition, users will be able to run only three applications simultaneously, but they will beneW t from interface improvements such as the new taskbar and Jump Lists. In addition, consumers will be able to join a Home Group (to share media Wireless over a local network).

Windows 7 Home Basic

The Home Basic edition will allow the use of unlimited applications at the same time, and will bring further interface enhancements such as live thumbnail previews. On top of that, Home Basic enables Internet connection sharing (including over wireless) and provides the Mobility Center (power management for laptops).

Windows 7 Home Premium

The Home Premium version will provide all the visual goodies of Windows 7, such as the Aero Glass environment and advanced window navigation. Aside from adding touch-screen implementations (such as handwriting recognition and multitouch support), the Home Premium edition will over improved media-format support and enhancements to Windows Media Center and media streaming functions.

Windows 7 Professional

The Professional edition will provide more extensive security and networking features, such as the Encrypting File System, advanced network backup, and the ability to join managed networks with Domain Join. It will support location-aware printing, as well.

Windows 7 Enterprise & Windows 7 Ultimate

The Enterprise and Ultimate editions will have similar features, such as BitLocker data protection for internal and external drives, as well as Direct Access for corporate networking based on Windows Server 2008 R2. Via another security feature, AppLocker, these versions will also prevent unauthorized software from running.

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