UPDATE: Thursday evening, Corel spokesperson Greg Wood commented to BetaNews, "Today's announcement is intended to communicate our plans to be very active in providing our products on Windows Vista, and to advise customers that they can choose Corel products with confidence on the new OS."

Wood added that the company will be announcing its Vista certification for software products on an ongoing basis, but is currently continuing to work on possible additions to existing products that could help maintain their compatibility with Vista.

On the same day that Microsoft formally unveiled its two-tier logo program for hardware manufacturers and partners, differentiating (at least to some extent) "Works with Vista" from "Certified for Vista," Corel announced it would be applying a similar two-tier approach to its main software brands.

Immediately after Vista's release (presumably the consumer edition, in January), Corel stated today, it will make available updates to its WordPerfect Office X3 and CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3, for use exclusively with Windows Vista.

The company may decide later, the statement said, to later update its Snapfire photo sharing and Paint Shop Pro Photo XI applications, even though it currently tags these as "Vista-ready" applications. The purpose of these updates would be "to ensure customers receive the optimal experience on the new operating system."

Corel's Painter and Painter Essentials programs, it said, would be updated for Vista with future releases.

In previous promotional literature, Corel has taken the approach that customers should only upgrade from Windows XP to Vista if they believe it's time to update their hardware in order to take advantage of new features of the operating system that they deem necessary. One page on Corel's Web site reads, "The best advice may be to assess your needs and ask yourself: Do I need a new OS or can I add additional software or hardware to my current PC to get what I need?"

That page goes on to caution customers, though, that the minimum system requirements of Vista may be more than some users' current PCs can handle.

"Industry analysts aren't certain that there are any real 'must have' features that will compel you to immediately upgrade," Corel's earlier literature puts it frankly, "but if you're interested in better security, integrated desktop search or, if your machine is powerful enough, an advanced and exciting new user interface called 'Aero,' Vista may be worth considering."

Today's language from Corel is a big step away from "may be," although it cleverly does not abandon the company's existing customers who may prefer to stay put with XP. "The potential of Microsoft Windows Vista," stated Microsoft's director of Vista product marketing, Dave Wascha, today, "is tied in part to the commitment of leading global ISVs such as Corel to develop their products for the operating system."

When Corel released its WordPerfect Office X3 suite last January, one of its key selling points was -- surprisingly -- how much it worked just like Microsoft Word 2003. With Office 2007 adopting a radically reformed usage model, Corel has said it reserves the right to do the same, but might not do so just yet unless its customers demand it. So there's renewed curiosity today over how Corel plans to demonstrably optimize X3's user experience for Vista, without dramatically altering its existing strategy. BetaNews has contacted Corel for further comment.