Most folks will have to upgrade their computer hardware in order to run Bill Gate's new operating system. Why would anyone want to buy a new machine just to run an O/S?

Anyone reading the tech press will pretty much see that Vista is the worst Microsoft operating system since the dreadful "Windows Millenium Edition". There are all kinds of device driver problems and problems with being able to run older software.

Not to mention M$ using Vista as a tool to enforce Hollywood's digital restrictions management schemes. Another thing I found out on Groklaw is that by default Vista's CD burning software tries to get you to burn CD's into a format that can only be read by a Windows XP or Vista machine.

Thankfully Dell has taken the lead by offering PC's with pre-installed Linux Consumers finally have a choice after being force-fed Windows for over a decade. They're starting in the U.S., but hope they will offer them in Canada soon. Though I normally build my machines myself, I'll buy a Dell Linux machine next time just to show support for the move.

Bob your bias is obvious!

First you call microsoft M$(noting the dollar symbol for money hungry) but then you bash Microsoft for building a OS so advanced that it will last more then 4 years, so people will not have to re-buy a new OS.

Secondly you state Vista has had horrible reviews...which is just false, in fact the "driver" issues that you are talking about is only with the 64 bit version of Vista which 99% of average people will not get. In fact these problem are not the OS problem but rather the 32 bit software drivers themselves.

As far as the media encryption goes it is only a option....not a standard...so that is also false.

You should not be bashing MS's driver issues when you are using Linux, which has had major driver issues, and is rarely used by average people.

I hope that they get all the bugs worked out of Vista so that one day I can install Vista again and enjoy the rewards. it's a nice looking prgram but when you can't get onto the internet the program loses it's appeal.

I know alot of people, myself included, that have no intention of upgrading to Vista until they absolutely have to, or when they buy a new machine. I'm very happy with my XP, and don't look forward to upgrading and having my PC police'd by Microsoft.

What's so dastardly is that Microsoft has already started to make "Vista exclusive" software. And suddenly Microsoft's decision to delay the PC release of Halo 2 for several years becomes obvious...

Biased? Guilty as charged!

I'll take the freedoms given to me under the GNU General Public License (used by GNU/Linux) any day over a Microsoft "End User License Agreement". The GPL tells me what I can do...and not what I can't.

It's not hard to find horrible reviews of Vista. It's not hard to find 32 bit device driver problems either. Ever heard of Googlesearch? Device driver problems with GNU/Linux are few and far between these days...in spite of Microsoft's monopolistic grip on the hardware market.

You want desktop "eye candy"? "Beryl" and "Compiz" knock the socks off of Windows Aeroglass...and MacOSX too.

When I want to upgrade GNU/Linux my upgrade costs most of the time are zero...not hundreds of dollars. Most of my application software costs are zero. I also don't have to spend wads of money on security software either.

Vista is an overpriced, resource-hungry, re-hash of existing technology from GNU/Linux and MacOSX with all the same old security problems.

Smart computer buyers are starting to look beyond the Microsoft monopoly.

Ok, To start out with, Microsoft is charging WAY to much for a software that looks very similar to XP with a few advanced features. I'm so sick of them overcharging for an OS you can use for about 4 years then they come out with a new version that's suppose to be better. OH! and look here! you have to have some ridiculous upgrades done to your system in order to run their OS. And on top of that, there's not just 1 version...THERE'S 5!!!
"Home, Premium, Business, Enterprise and Ultimate"..COME ON! Microsoft should learn a thing or two from Apple...1 Version that does everything at an affordable reasonable price. No wonder Microsoft is complaining of Piracy...IT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE SICK OF BEING RIPPED OFF!!! buy purchasing what seems to be from their mouth the latest and greatest, when all you get is a new software full of bugs an security holes that makes you buy more software to protect your system because of their crappy programming! I hope now that everyone can open their eyes an see what a monopolizing business Microsoft really is!

Bob,
So don't use it...

"With all consumer PCs other than Dell's shipping with Vista pre-installed"

Sigh. How can you expect a piece on operating systems to be taken seriously when it includes statements like this?

First of all, what distinguishes a "consumer" PC from any other PC? Nothing; it's a meaningless term. What about "PC"? To equate PC with "Windows" is so 1995... You may as well call them "IBMs".

Apple sold 1.5 million Macs last quarter. Zero copies of Vista or Linux were shipped with those "consumer PCs". Seems like lots of people are interested in something other than Vista or Dell.

Not that you'd ever know it if you got your news from the CBC...

Amen to that! But too bad that alot of the existing games out there do not support Linux.... :-(....

As a computer tech, I'm not overly anxious to jump on the Vista bandwagon. I've only been playing around with it for a few weeks now (on other people's machines) and so far I like it but not enough to load it only my own personal machine just yet. While I admit it can be a bit of a resource hog, that goes for every new OS that comes along from Microsoft. Historically, it's been like that. Try running Win95 on a machine from 1990. It's too advanced. But eventually the hardware catches up.

I think Microsoft is just inventing software to run on what machine COULD be rather than what they are. For now, however, I'm quite happy with WinXP. I have found it far superior to Win98.