Dear Gern
According to the entry for different from, different to, different than at Bartleby.com,
These three have been usage items for many years. All are Standard and have long been so (different to is limited to British English, however), but only different from seems never to meet objections.
Elements of Style weighs in against different than:
Here logic supports established usage: one thing differs from another, hence, different from. Or, other than, unlike.
From H.W. Fowler comes this pronouncement:
That different can only be followed by from and not by to is a superstition.
He points out that “writers of all ages” have used different to. He does not mention the use of different than.
It would seem, then, that any of the three is acceptable.
On reflection, 'different from' would have covered both variants (British and American) but I defer to Fowler in all things grammatical.
It is cool readers care enough to post a comment but please check your facts first before you criticize!
Until next time