I notice the boxes say upgrade...
If you haven’t tried the latest rev of Ubuntu, 9.04 do so - it’s amazing.
I might get Windows 7 for the kids computer, but personally I’m finally loving linux on the desktop (and this is from a unix admin).
Caution - NEVER get a new Windows OS version until AT LEAST AFTER the first service pack is released ...
REMEMBER WINDOWS VISTA - Version 1 ???
For what it’s worth, if you follow Microsoft’s ‘academic discounts’ links you end up on a page that students (college email address required) can order Home premium for $30 (download) and an option to buy a backup disk for another $13. Apparently students attending colleges which require students to connect ‘directly’ to the school’s domain are able to buy the Windows 7 Professional for $30 as well.
I had a hard time finding the link for the pro version discount and after I used it, that link only pointed to the Home Premium version so apparently the discount for the Pro has to come via the college (i.e., the school has to register with MS that it requires direct connection to its domain and then students regsitering with their school email address get the ‘right’ link.)
Home Premium does not allow users to connect directly to a domain the way that Pro and Ultimate do. Also - Pro has a feature that is intended to let users run ‘many’ older XP programs and Premium does not. In case you have any students in the family, I will include the link below. In MS FAQ page MS says that it’s an academic license but not an academic version of the software.There is a one-copy limit per student.
http://windows7.digitalriver.com/store/mswpus/en_US/DisplayHomePage?resid=ilOFSwoBAkYAAAAiq3AAAAAV&rests=1254718733974
FWIW - per my post re: academic discounts through Microsoft, you can buy Microsoft Office Ultimate for $60 (and same kind of deal on Visio) at this link:
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=microsoft+academic+ultimate+deal&page=1&qsrc=0&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.microsoft.com%2Fstudent%2Fdiscounts%2Ftheultimatesteal-us%2Fdefault.aspx
Windows 7 “Recall” Boxes Hitting the Shelves”
Back tracking through the links to academic discounts, I noticed an educational program discount that schools can register for that allows students to get MS software free. I believe the instructor said this approach was only useful for training because you cannot update the software (security updates etc.) I looked but I cannot find that statement on the program page but it makes sense since they aren’t likely to give updatable licenses out. There were many programs available - if you want to see if your school participates in it, I’ll include the link. As I recall I had to register and then had the choice of dealing directly with the lab guy at school (he could burn discs) or order online for delivery. I see they offer Win 7 but wonder how that would work if you really can’t update it. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/academic/dd861347.aspx
I have used that route last semester - it’s fine if you just want to learn a software program but not for something critical that you’d need to keep updated. Students can pick up Win Server 2003 to install and use for classes, for example.