So basically it just looks like the vast majority of us will be getting Home Premium and being just fine with it.
I don't see why this is such a big deal, honestly. The reason that there's not the same number of flavours of Ubuntu, say, is because Ubuntu is aimed at such a small niche of people (and they STILL manage to have four versions: 32-bit desktop, 64-bit desktop, 32-bit server, 64-bit server).
Microsoft is trying to be all things to all people, which is honestly what their market dictates anyway. Having this many versions of W7 isn't ridiculous, it's a requirement.
OK so Ubuntu has 32 bit and 64 bit flavours. Different flavours for different architectures does not seem objectionable to me.
As for desktop and server, they are not different OSes (unlike Windows where the cheaper editions are crippled in some way). You can install server and add the desktop (apt-get ubuntu-desktop) or install the desktop version and uninstall the GUI and install whatever server software the server version includes.
It may be a better illustration of your point that there are a lot of versions of Linux out there, but then again, they are from different vendors.
Ubuntu is not aimed at a small niche. It is specifically meant to be a general purpose desktop OS. See bug #1: https://launchpad.net/bugs/1
In practice I know a wide range of people who use it from developers to ordinary home users.
Nonsense. They could just as well sell the basic thing to everyone and provide a simple online service where you can pay for and immediately enable the features that they decided to cripple.
They don't do that because they realize that users would feel even more ripped off when they just bought an OS and are then supposed to pay again for basic features that everybody else (OSX, linux) provides for free.
They probably also do that because they still phantasize about this hindering piracy anyhow. Well, who knows, sometimes luck is with the stupid...
Microsoft can get away with this while OS X and Ubuntu (and other Linux distros) can offer 'advanced' functions for free is because of their massive business base. Out of the box a Mac has a full RSA keychain service, encrypted VPN, file and printer sharing, hard drive encryption, and the ability to remotely install programs (although it does require a separately priced admin program). I bet that 99.9% of the people don't care about those functions on their Mac, but they're there. Even if for the sole purpose of supporting said enterprise features just so Apple themselves can use it in their office.
Of course I think Microsoft is just milking their business customers while most people will just get the Home Premium that Dell gave them because the general public really doesn't care about the above features.
I don't see why this is such a big deal, honestly. The reason that there's not the same number of flavours of Ubuntu, say, is because Ubuntu is aimed at such a small niche of people (and they STILL manage to have four versions: 32-bit desktop, 64-bit desktop, 32-bit server, 64-bit server).
Microsoft is trying to be all things to all people, which is honestly what their market dictates anyway. Having this many versions of W7 isn't ridiculous, it's a requirement.