I migrated to Vista Ultimate from Windows XP in 2008. Initially, Vista was a source of vexation but it didn't take long to get used to it.
In my opinion, Vista represents a break or a step in a new direction that Microsoft is going. The change has been painful and with any, completely new, operating system, there were bound to be bugs that have since been fixed.
It is my opinion that many of the consumer issues with the performance of Vista have their roots in inadequate memory (RAM). Vista needs adequate memory to be able to "walk and chew gum at the same time." While the issue could be debated pro and con, I suggest having the maximum memory the manufacturer recommends for your PC, whether XP or Vista equipped. Doing this in the beginning means you are done with the issue for the life of the machine, and will avoid many of the freeze ups and slowdowns. Going this way also doesn't require you to be a geek or consult one for an opinion. Certainly, if nothing else, it won't harm anything in the PC.
Should you choose Vista, I recommend Vista Business at minimum and the all inclusive Vista Ultimate for a few dollars more. Should you wind up with a machine with any other version of Vista pre-installed, you can easily upgrade at any time via a download from Microsoft.
Yes, you can buy third party software that you need for lower versions of Vista that will give you a function of the higher versions, but if you buy two of them you'll be ¾ of the way, in cost, to an upgrade.
The following link compares versions of Vista. However, what is offered are boxed versions of Vista to be installed on a machine you already own. The comparisons are still valid.
Some thoughts
Some people may remember when Windows XP first came out. Not only were there people that wouldn't switch to XP from Windows 98, there were people that wouldn't switch to XP from Windows 3.1(1)! History apparently repeats itself.
Microsoft is already developing Windows 7. This is not some sort of reversion back to good old Windows XP in whole or in part, it is an evolution of Vista. That means it will look, feel, and operate based on the way Vista is, right now. The changes are inevitable.
Software also evolves, and while Office 2003 still works just fine, it won't run on Vista. Consider: it is now 6 year old software. Your new, XP equipped machine should last 3 or 4 years by which time your version of Office should be completely obsolete at 10 years old. You will also have insulated yourself from the new versions which will evolve from Office 2007. With no basis of comparison and no familiarity with the current software, how steep will the learning curve be when you start with Office 2012?
The point I am trying to make is that you can make the change, now, in a smaller increment, or you can change a few years down the line in a bigger increment, but you will be changing.
Or, you may end up like an older Realtor friend of mine. She had me upgrade her (now) 9 year old PC to Windows XP from Windows 98 last fall. She uses Office 2000 and I just taught her how to print envelopes with it, which made her very happy. Before upgrading to XP (and increasing her memory to the maximum: 512mb, so XP would run, which happens to be what some cell phones have as memory today), I asked her if she would simply consider buying a new PC. She said she saw no reason why she should buy a new one when this one was hardly used.
How could I disagree? J
Yours,
Chris Parks - ABR, e-Pro, GRI - Accelerated
Broker
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