FWIW, back in the 80's, I bought both editions in paperback. I bought and read the shorter one first, and I was more than pleased to find the longer one, which I promptly read and preferred. I still have them, with the longer one now being held together with duck tape, that's how many times it was read (and not only by me). When I got into ereaders, I bought the ebook from kobo and read it again. I know it's all a matter of opinion, if some found the longer version to be not to their liking, but I enjoyed the way King developed his characters back in the day. When my memory of the shorter version was a lot fresher than it is now, I recall thinking that the lengthier version did a better job of rounding out the characters in the book. Some long books I've read got tedious (like Diana Gabaldon's "Fiery Cross", for example). I did not find that to be the case with The Stand, even with the extra length.
Sorry, I didn't answer your question, but I just thought I would mention that you might not mind the longer version.
