Vista is slower than XP and has lots of compatibility problems. Many applications won't run on Vista and there still is a serious lack of hardware drivers, especially for hardware that older than two or three years - which includes lots of printers that are still in use, for example.
I don't like the new Windows Explorer and I also think that the UI design shows a serious lack of taste of the designers in Redmond, but that falls under individual preferences. Even with all the new effects turned on, I'm still waiting for that "WOW" they have been advertising. Maybe I've been using OS X too long already.
Other than that, working with Vista feels OK once you have disabled the annoying User Account Control (which disables a lot of the new security features). It's still Windows, with all its advantages and shortcomings.
If you're into playing games, XP will do you a much better service at the moment. If you're into .NET programming, you should go for Vista. If you want to play with the system software, use Linux. If you want a system that "just works" and boosts your productivity, go for OS X.
And here is the good news: On Apple hardware, you can legally use them all -- at the same time --.
I don't like the new Windows Explorer and I also think that the UI design shows a serious lack of taste of the designers in Redmond, but that falls under individual preferences. Even with all the new effects turned on, I'm still waiting for that "WOW" they have been advertising. Maybe I've been using OS X too long already.
Other than that, working with Vista feels OK once you have disabled the annoying User Account Control (which disables a lot of the new security features). It's still Windows, with all its advantages and shortcomings.
If you're into playing games, XP will do you a much better service at the moment. If you're into .NET programming, you should go for Vista. If you want to play with the system software, use Linux. If you want a system that "just works" and boosts your productivity, go for OS X.
And here is the good news: On Apple hardware, you can legally use them all -- at the same time --.