I put the same question to a friend who is a sysadmin. He said that Win XP Pro has better security, and all users should use it. His explanation went something like this: "The Home version has an inadequate firewall. The free version of Zonealarm is also inadequate. If you pay for the better version of Zonealarm, you have wiped out part of the savings. The Home version also has non-secure default settings, giving everyone rights to everything. You can adjust it, but it takes work and knowledge." He also said that the upcoming Service Pack 2 might change some of this, in either direction.

>Hi Bret,
>
>Take a look at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx and http://www.winnetmag.com/Article/ArticleID/20536/20536.html
>
>>When I upgrade my machine, I expect to pay extra and get XP Pro. Personal Web Server is reason enough for me to do that. But is it worth the extra money ($100?) to my friends who are not programmers or even computer professionals? One does heavy graphics, one likes to dabble in things but isn't a programmer and never has much money, and one is an elementary user.
>>
>>I looked at the Microsoft website for a definitive list of the differences and couldn't find one. I found this:
>>
>>http://shopping.msn.com/softcontent/softcontent.aspx?scpId=3654&scmId=1453&campaign=awebtb:ms:editorial
>>
>>but it doesn't look complete. The link that says "Take advantage of powerful user features" takes you to a list that does not seem specific to XP Pro. I don't see any mention of PWS. M$ doesn't want to admit that any product of theirs is lacking in anything.