Nothing against those in the Windows world out there. The Matrix has you, and it’s not really your fault.
I admit that I’ve been curious about Vista. The hype has been impressive. But then, it’s still Microsoft Windows after all, isn’t it? That explains this, from Bruce Schneier:
Windows Vista includes an array of “features” that you don’t want. These features will make your computer less reliable and less secure. They’ll make your computer less stable and run slower. They will cause technical support problems. They may even require you to upgrade some of your peripheral hardware and existing software. And these features won’t do anything useful. In fact, they’re working against you. They’re digital rights management (DRM) features built into Vista at the behest of the entertainment industry.
For more information, take a gander at badvista, which led me to Schneier.
The last Windows PC I ran was Windows 95. I had my fill. Since then, I’ve used virtual hardware to run my (ancient, legal) copies of Windows only for testing, debugging, and mostly tax software. As far as I know, they still haven’t released TurboTax or TaxCut for Linux yet. At least it’s available for MacOS.
If you have the means — which is measured in willingness to learn rather than dollars — there has never been a better time to try Linux. Ubuntu is hugely popular, and is rather easy to install. Its variant Kubuntu is even prettier (IMO). For those who absolutely must spend money on an OS, look no further than the Macintosh. It does what you need, and in general it’s not broken.