[wernercd]

Define "Feature Reduced"? Lack of Domain? HyperV? Remote Desktop options?

What features are people "losing" with Home that 95% of "Home" users "need"?

Sure... You and I can't live without half of those things, but home users generally won't notice - or care - if HyperV is missing.

You pay more for Pro/Enterprise because it has added features that Power Users/Businesses need.

Glass Half Empty/Full... Potato/Patato... Home isn't feature reduced... Pro is feature added. Enterprise is feature complete.

If you want feature reduced... look into versions like Starter Edition - http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-w...

[bad_user]

Full-disk encryption is something people want even if they don't realize it. Android, iOS, OS X and Linux have encryption built in, whereas BitLocker for Windows comes with the Pro version only.

Normal people also want Remote Desktop, again, even if they don't realize it. That's how I'm able to debug the problems that my parents are having, from a distance.

[ZoFreX]

> Full-disk encryption is something people want even if they don't realize it.

Really? Because it has very limited security advantages, and very real performance impact on many systems. Android L came with it enabled by default and it cut performance in half on devices that weren't designed for it.

And why would Joe Public want it? This is something with so many caveats that DPR, a paranoid computer expert with quite a lot to hide, gained no protection from it whatsoever. So what are the odds a regular user will use it correctly and benefit from it?

[bad_user]

I think you're wrong on multiple counts ...

1) it has real security advantages, because your PC or device is a single point of failure - lose your (unencrypted) device and the thief can gain access to everything, including your email account, your facebook, your bank account, etc... and for example AES-256 with a good enough password is unbreakable.

2) On the desktop if you have an Intel processor with the AES-NI instructions set, then you won't notice a speed hit. Core i5 is such a processor. And I own a Nexus 6 device that came encrypted by default, never felt sluggish and I have it filled with music, games, presentations and maps.

3) I don't know whom DPR is, however in the US people are protected against key disclosure with the fifth amendment. Of course, the technology is relatively new and the fifth has yet to be proven in court against key disclosure, however there are cases in which this constitutional right has been upheld [1]. And while in many countries you may not be able to resist a court order, you may be able to resist unwarranted searches or seizures; which is still useful, because ...

4) Most people have something to hide and that's undeniable. Even if you're willing to fully cooperate with the authorities, it is undeniable that most public workers are incompetents. So placing your trust in such individuals is very dangerous for one's self being. Let me give you an example ... because of an incompetent public worker, my personal identification details and home address ended up in a local newspaper. That's how identities can be stoles and lifes can be ruined, OK?

Now - do you really want to place your trust, your data (like 10 years old pictures, emails describing your love affairs, search history describing your most secret desires, etc..) into the hands of such people? You'd have to be a fool to wish for this. At least wait for the FBI to come ;-)

5) I'm sick and tired of the "Joe Public" fallacy. People are really not that dumb.

[1] https://www.eff.org/press/releases/appeals-court-upholds-con...

[ZoFreX]

1) "AES-256 with a good enough password is unbreakable" is a provably incorrect statement. AES-256 used in ECB mode for example is incredibly breakable. And the modes available to you in FDE are compromises compared to what you would use for encrypting data in flight.

2) Windows is aiming for supporting a lot more than just powerful x86 CPUs though. You implied everyone wants this, not just people with CPUs with AES-NI instructions.

3&4&5) DPR = The guy who ran the silk road. So he had a lot more to hide than most people and was a lot more competent than most people but FDE didn't help him at all. It wasn't key disclosure - his computer was seized while it was still running. I don't think people are all that dumb. I think you need to be very very smart to fully understand the compromises involved with FDE, and if you're that smart you'll rely on something else entirely for the data most important to you.

I also think a lot of people, given the choice between "your data is sort of protected against theft, as long as the system is actually off not just suspended, and assuming you used a strong password" and "your data can be easily recovered when you hose your system and/or forget your password" would pick the latter.

A small side-note regarding key disclosure: not everyone is in the USA. Where I live, it's absolutely definitive that I hand over keys on request or I go to jail :(

[veidr]

Device theft by a non-technical perpetrator is incredibly common.

Even just to mitigate against this single specific threat, full-disk encryption on a modern PC is completely worth it, for soccer moms, grandparents and hackers alike.

[ZoFreX]

And wiping the device and immediately fencing it is also incredibly common. No-one's going to hijack your Facebook and steal your wedding photos.

[epistasis]

Remote Desktop is almost essential for "home" users, as it allows remote guidance through the computer.

>You pay more for Pro/Enterprise because it has added features that Power Users/Businesses need.

Do you really? When negotiating large licenses with volume discounts, does Microsoft really end up charging more for each install than they do with the Home options?

How many consumers pay for the Pro or Enterprise versions, and how much money does Microsoft actually make on that small price differential, compared to how much the market segmentation costs them in terms of consumer confusion and dismay?

Clearly MS knows these answers better than I do, but I also don't really trust their marketing teams to execute that well in the consumer space. Sure, they are awesome in the business sphere, but they really suck when it comes to consumers.

[tracker1]

Enterprise/Education will only be available through organization based license agreements... not really for individuals. As to Home/Pro, I mostly agree... I wouldn't mind seeing a base version that's effectively Pro... considering the domain is a server license with additional CALs required anyway (SAMBA aside).

That, or just sell the pro services as an upgrade package for windows, instead of a separate OS package... I know it's all in the details, just the same it can/should be more transparent.

[merb]

Remote Desktop is not essential for "home" users, there is Windows Remote Assistance which is way better for that use case. It is based on RDP but can traversal NAT, so Remote Desktop is really not needed for "home" users at all.