If this patent is intended for use with the "cloud computing" concept, it perhaps fits together nicely with the published information that every Vista distribution disk contains all of the code for all of the versions. When you buy the package, you get the "unlock" number for the version on the package, but if/when you want to, you can contact Microsoft and they'll give you (after you pay them for it) the unlock number for the "better" version you want.

If implemented to take advantage of this capability, you could run Vista Home for internet browsing, Vista Business for your spreadsheets, and Vista Multimedia for your games, and "only" pay for the version you actually use - for the time that you're actually using that version.

Of course, you would have to pay for the appropriate version again each time you use it ... and again the next time you use it, and ...

The privacy issue is not obviously much different than the classic telephone use, where the 'phone company has a list of every number you call and how long you talked, and bills you by the minute (always rounding up on the minutes, of course). For the archaic "land-line" phones records of local calls were not ordinarily kept, if they were in a local "free call" area; but for cell phones every call is logged, even if local and long-distance are charged the same per minute.

John