What does it mean to write Windows?

Mentioning Microsoft’s operating systems in Red Hat documentation is inevitable, especially given virtualization’s growing importance.

The table below presents all Windows editions and versions currently supported (in any fashion) by Microsoft. In conjunction with the explanatory notes even further below, the table makes the job of accurately denoting said operating systems easier. Not easy, just easier.

operating system edition word size service pack platform ms supported? notes
  32-bit 64-bit   x86 x64 IA64 ARM  
Windows XP Starter   Service Pack 3 (SP3)       extended support 1
Home   Service Pack 3 (SP3)       extended support 1
Professional   Service Pack 3 (SP3)       extended support 1
64-bit Edition   Service Pack 2 (SP2)       no  
Professional x64 Edition   Service Pack 2 (SP2)       extended support 1
Windows Vista Starter   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       yes  
Home Basic Service Pack 1 (SP1)     yes  
Home Premium Service Pack 1 (SP1)     yes  
Business Service Pack 1 (SP1)     yes  
Enterprise Service Pack 1 (SP1)     yes  
Ultimate Service Pack 1 (SP1)     yes  
Windows Vista Starter   Service Pack 2 (SP2)       yes  
Home Basic Service Pack 2 (SP2)     yes  
Home Premium Service Pack 2 (SP2)     yes  
Business Service Pack 2 (SP2)     yes  
Enterprise Service Pack 2 (SP2)     yes  
Ultimate Service Pack 2 (SP2)     yes  
Windows Vista Starter   Platform Update       yes 2
Home Basic Platform Update     yes 2
Home Premium Platform Update     yes 2
Business Platform Update     yes 2
Enterprise Platform Update     yes 2
Ultimate Platform Update     yes 2
Windows 7 Starter   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       yes  
Home Basic Service Pack 1 (SP1)     yes  
Home Premium Service Pack 1 (SP1)     yes  
Professional Service Pack 1 (SP1)     yes  
Enterprise Service Pack 1 (SP1)     yes  
Ultimate Service Pack 1 (SP1)     yes  
Windows Server 2003 Small Business Server   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       no  
Web Edition   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       no  
Standard Edition Service Pack 1 (SP1)     no 3
Enterprise Edition Service Pack 1 (SP1)   no  
Datacenter Edition Service Pack 1 (SP1)   no  
Windows Compute Cluster Server   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       no  
Windows Storage Server Service Pack 1 (SP1)   no  
Windows Server 2003 R2 Small Business Server   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       extended support 4, 5
Web Edition   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       extended support 5
Standard Edition Service Pack 1 (SP1)     extended support 5
Enterprise Edition Service Pack 1 (SP1)   extended support 5
Datacenter Edition Service Pack 1 (SP1)   extended support 5
Windows Compute Cluster Server   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       extended support 5
Windows Storage Server Service Pack 1 (SP1)   extended support 5
Windows Home Server Windows Home Server   Power Pack 1       yes  
Windows Home Server   Power Pack 2       yes  
Windows Home Server   Power Pack 3       yes  
Windows Home Server 2011           yes  
Windows Server 2008 Standard Service Pack 2 (SP2)     yes 6
Enterprise Service Pack 2 (SP2)     yes 6
Datacenter Service Pack 2 (SP2)     yes 6
Windows HPC Server 2008   Service Pack 2 (SP2)       yes 6
Windows Web Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2)     yes 6
Windows Storage Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2)     yes 6
Windows Small Business Server 2008   Service Pack 2 (SP2)       yes 6
Windows Essential Business Server 2008   Service Pack 2 (SP2)       yes 6
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems   Service Pack 2 (SP2)       yes 6
Windows Server 2008 Foundation   Service Pack 2 (SP2)       yes 6
Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       yes 7
Standard   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       yes 7
Web   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       yes 7
HPC   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       yes 7
Enterprise   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       yes 7
Datacenter   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       yes 7
Itanium   Service Pack 1 (SP1)       yes 7
Windows 8 Windows 8       yes  
Windows 8 Pro       yes  
Windows RT Windows RT         yes 8
Windows Server 2012 Foundation           yes 9
Essentials           yes 9
Standard           yes 9
Datacenter           yes 9

Writing Windows

The table above makes clear the potential for over-reaching or under-reaching when discussing the various extant Windows.

For example, the noun phrase Windows XP SP3 encompasses

because it explicitly includes ‘SP3’. That same fragment means the phrase implicitly excludes

since neither of these editions have had a third Service Pack.

Or, consider the noun phrase Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. The ‘R2’ fragment excludes the earlier, NT 6.0 kernel-based, Windows Server 2008. By not explicitly specifying the platform, however, the noun phrase implicitly encompasses AMD64 and Intel 6410 and Itanium (IA64).

This latter implicit inclusion could be unfortunate. Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, for example, does not run on Itanium and does not support Itanium-based guests.

Dealing with the implicit inclusion of the Itanium platform in the second noun phrase above is, theoretically, a matter of extending the phrase to

This implicitly excludes Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 for Itanium. Nonetheless it’s still wise (if wordy) to be explicit:

Likewise with the first noun phrase above — Windows XP SP3. Despite the implicit exclusion of both Windows XP 64-bit Edition and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition it is unwise to assume a reader will do the implied excluding.

Best to add an explicit note to the effect. Something like:

With regards explicitness of this sort, as of this writing (2012/07/17) the nomenclature relationship between Windows 8 and Windows RT, if any, is unclear.

Windows RT is a specific Windows 8 edition. It is also an OEM-only Windows edition (ie, it will not be available for general sale). Consequently it is currently unclear if Microsoft will brand this ARM-specific version separately or subsume it into general Windows 8 branding.

Until this is clarified by word or action, prudence suggests explicitly calling out the inclusion or exclusion of Windows RT when discussing Windows 8.

More generally, implicit inclusions and exclusions are the most problematic parts of this (or any) complex nomenclature.

Taking the extra time to write (or say) only and explicitly what you mean to say will routinely feel like an irritating waste of time in the moment.

Better that momentary irritation than a longer and more troubling time later when a customer makes a commercial decision based on a theoretical but legally reasonable mis-reading of your hurried and only self-evident phrasing.

Abbreviations

The clumsiness of phrases like

makes abbreviations such as

almost irresistable.

Resist, nonetheless. Ambiguity is no virtue, especially in technical documents. In public-facing documents always spell product names out, in full.

  1. Extended support consists of security updates only. It ends 8th April 2014.
  2. Windows Vista Platform Update requires Windows Vista SP2.
  3. Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition 64-bit was released April 2005. The initial release was 32-bit only.
  4. Windows Server 2003 R2 is an update to Windows Server 2003. It is denoted separately to follow Microsoft’s nomenclature. NB: Windows Server 2003 R2 Service Packs are not the same as Windows Server 2003 Service Packs. R2 Service Packs can only be applied to Windows Server 2003 R2 installs.
  5. Extended support consists of security updates only. It ends 14th July 2015.
  6. Windows Server 2008 is built on the Windows NT 6.0 SP1 kernel, the same as Windows Vista SP1. The original release was considered SP1 and the first seperately released Service Pack was, consequently, called SP2.
  7. Windows Server 2008 R2 is built on the Windows NT 6.1 kernel, the same as Windows 7. It is denoted separately to follow Microsoft’s nomenclature. NB: Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 is not the same as Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 1. R2 Service Packs can only be applied to Windows Server 2008 R2 installs.
  8. Windows RT is an OEM-only, ARM-specific Windows edition. It shares much code with Windows 8 for x86, Intel 64 and AMD64 but only supports the WinRT APIs, not the Win32 APIs. It is not currently clear if Microsoft will advertise this edition generally or subsume it under the ‘Windows 8’ brand.
  9. Windows Server 2012 is built on the Windows NT 6.2 kernel, the same as Windows 8. Do not, however, refer to it as ‘Windows 8 Server’ or any variation thereof.
  10. A quick reminder: AMD64 and Intel 64 are collectively if unofficially known as x64, x86-64, x86_64 and even (thanks to history) AMD64 or amd64. Absent the emergence of an unambiguous and widely agreed on single shorthand, however, the longer phrase AMD 64 and Intel 64 must always be used in public-facing documents.