Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual

The Editions of Windows 8.1—and Windows RT

There are no longer 17,278 different versions of Windows, praise Microsoft. No more Starter, Home, Home Premium, Ultimate, blah blah blah.

Basically, there are only two versions for sale to the public—Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro—and the differences are minor. The Pro version adds high-end features like these:

• Accepts incoming Remote Desktop connections.

• Can join a corporate network (a Windows Server domain).

• Offers the Encrypting File System (lets you encrypt files at the desktop).

• Includes BitLocker and BitLocker To Go.

• Offers Windows Media Center as a $10 download.

Note

A third version, Enterprise, is available only to corporate buyers.

And then there’s Windows RT. Be careful.

Windows RT does not run on computers with Intel processors and does not run traditional Windows software (Photoshop, Quicken, iTunes, and so on). It’s designed for low-powered, touchscreen gadgets like tablets—notably Microsoft’s own $500 Surface tablet—and maybe a few simple laptops.

Basically, Windows RT is all TileWorld. It runs only TileWorld apps. It still has a desktop underneath, and a few traditional Windows apps like the Calculator and the Control Panel. (Microsoft also supplies Windows RT versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with its Surface tablet.) But otherwise, Windows RT doesn’t run “real” Windows software.

This book covers both Windows 8 and Windows RT.

Note

And what, exactly, does RT stand for? Microsoft says, “Nothing. It’s just a brand.” But scholars are quick to point out that software companies use a programming tool called Windows Runtime, or WinRT, to write TileWorld apps. Coincidence? You decide.