[evan]

XP business edition is $170 at my campus bookstore (and that's 100 buck cheaper than amazon!) WTF!?

looks like I may just pony up for vista to run with bootcamp... grrrrrrrrrrrr

[Koodari]

Originally Posted by CoachKrzyzewski Why is windows XP so damn expensive?!?

Because it's the best Windows you can get.

For that matter.. do you actually need a specific feature from XP Professional? If not, XP Home is just as good.

[Luca]

Uh, there isn't a Windows XP Business Edition. According to Microsoft itself, there are five versions:

- Home
- Pro
- Media Center
- Tablet PC
- x64

You're probably thinking of Pro. In that case, I would recommend getting an OEM copy from NewEgg for $140. Otherwise, if you want to go Vista, go for the OEM version of Home Premium for $110.

EDIT: And, as Koodari rightly pointed out, XP Home is probably fine too. The main restriction is in how many networking features it has compared to Pro, so it's likely that you won't even care. And XP Home is only $90.

[evan]

Our bookstore didn't even offer it from what I could tell, but thanks for the heads up!

[Kraetos]

You think its bad now? As of June 30, XP will be officially discontinued,* at which point price will probably go up. Supply goes down, demand stays the same - price goes up.

Hopefully.... Vista SP1 will make Vista bearable. But if it doesn't there will be rioting on June 30. So.. get it while you still can.

*Support doesn't end until 2009, though.

[Luca]

Yeah... remember original Airport cards? For a lot of older Macs, it's your only option for wireless internet access. Those things were $100-$150 a pop, last I checked. Worth more than the computers they go in, I'd imagine!

[joveblue]

Originally Posted by Koodari Because it's the best Windows you can get.

Exactly what I was about to say

[tomoe]

I guess it depends on the university...I remember getting XP Professional for <$30 from my undergraduate institution (UT-Austin).

[evan]

one of my friends goes there... I could ask him about it.

[iDorf]

Be glad XP is available to pay a premium for!! You do know Vista is crap - right?

[Escher]

Originally Posted by Kraetos YHopefully.... Vista SP1 will make Vista bearable. But if it doesn't there will be rioting on June 30. So.. get it while you still can.

Thanks for posting a direct link, Kraetos. I just ordered a copy of XP Home to run via Boot Camp on my new iMac (and MBA if I get one). Being able to run Windows natively was one of the main reasons I upgraded to an Intel Mac.

I can't believe I just paid good money for bad Windows. But it's going to make my work life so much easier, as I have to use Web apps that only run in IE 6.0 on Windows.

[Escher]

My copy of XP arrived today. It's funny. The OEM version that NewEgg sells comes in a padded manila envelope, which sure makes it look like a bootleg copy -- save for all the Micro$soft licensing stickers all over it.

Will try to install and test out this weekend. Will be nice to be able to do work in IE 6.0 on my new iMac, rather than on the barely working, 7 year-old Dell laptop that I've borrowed from work.

[evan]

Originally Posted by Escher My copy of XP arrived today. It's funny. The OEM version that NewEgg sells comes in a padded manila envelope, which sure makes it look like a bootleg copy -- save for all the Micro$soft licensing stickers all over it. Will try to install and test out this weekend. Will be nice to be able to do work in IE 6.0 on my new iMac, rather than on the barely working, 7 year-old Dell laptop that I've borrowed from work.

That's how they sell it at my bookstore. I spent like 5 minutes going through all the software and couldn't find it until I asked someone.