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Rating:  - It's okay
I have been a windows user since the original 95 and have upgraded my machines according every time the new operating systems come along. Some have been great and some have been downright horrible (Window's ME anyone?).
Vista lies somewhere in the middle. For those trying to convert from mac to PC it might be a good ideas, as it borrows heavily from the Macintosh OX model. But those of us used to generic windows will find that it takes a lot of time to get to know VISTA, and still things remain complicated.
But once you get used to VISTA there are a lot of perks, such as easier searching mechanisms, a new clock system, and the invent of widgets. But on the same token it takes a lot more RAM, and might not be the best choice for machines with less than 2gz of ram.
Rating:  - Worst Experience I've Ever Had With Windows
I've been a satisfied user of Windows for over a decade. For all its flaws, I've always been able to navigate it just fine and do everything I wanted to do with it. I've never had any reason to want to switch to another OS. XP was perfect for me.
A few weeks ago, my old computer died. Something wrong with the power connection and I figured it was time for a new one anyway. So I ordered a Toshiba Satellite, and it showed up on my doorstep with Vista.
I was nervous... I've heard a lot of bad things about Vista. All kinds of horror stories, really. Lucky me, now I have my own. The one and only positive thing I can say about Vista is it looks nice. I like the groovy way the windows fade in and out. Too bad aesthetics doesn't make an operating system run right.
The first thing I did was install some of my favorite old programs. Or at least, try to install -- they didn't work. I searched online and found people saying that there was no easy way to run the programs I wanted to run in Vista, and that I'd have to risk damaging the system to change it in order to fix it. Great. Fortunately, I found a DOS emulator to allow me to run those programs inside another program. It was a pain to use, but it got the job done.
Next, I went to install my favorite game, which is about 3 years old and was made for Windows XP. I popped in the CD, opened the AutoRun menu, clicked "Install" and.... nothing happened. It didn't work. The menu was in Flash player, so I figured maybe the Flash player in my new computer was outdated. I tried to close the window to install the latest version of Flash, but it wouldn't close. I tried to open the Task Manager to close the process, and the Task Manager wouldn't work. I opened the shut down menu and selected "Restart". Nothing. Tried again, and selected "Shut Down." Nothing. Pressed the power button on my computer. Nada. Finally I held it down for 10 seconds and forced the computer off. I restarted, installed the latest Flash player, and tried to install my game again. Same thing --> install failed, computer wouldn't let me turn it off, and I had to shut it off manually.
The next time I turned the computer on, I was surprised to find that the colors had been set to a very poor, low level -- my computer looked like it was the 1980s! I clicked on the explanation button, and Windows told me it had set my colors to a lower level because either there was a problem with my graphics card, or there is a program running that only runs with lower quality graphics. Well, no different programs running than any other time I started the computer, so it's not that, and considering the computer is only a few days old, I doubt it's the graphics card either! I followed Vista's instructions to change the appearance back to normal, opening the Appearance window and going to select the standard Vista color scheme... except... wait for it... it WASN'T THERE! The highest color scheme in the menu was the Stone Age one I had.
I threw in the towel and tossed my new computer aside. You win, Vista.
Right now, I'm hard at work on my work computer trying to figure out how I can UPgrade to XP from Vista on my brand spanking new personal computer, as I heard that option was available. I really was hoping I could make Vista work... but, despite being an experienced Windows user (many call me an expert), I have totally failed.
I just can't make Vista work.
Rating:  - I'll stay with XP for now
I tried Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 to see if it was worth upgrading my home XP machine to Vista. I just can't find any compelling reason to upgrade to Vista. I have I gig of memory in my home machine and with XP it runs fine. With Vista I have to turn off the Aero graphics due to limited memory on my machine. Once the Aero graphics are turned off the system runs close to the speed of XP but you loose the major feature upgrade of Vista which is the improved graphics.
I have a MCSE so I'm very familiar with Microsoft OS's but I just don't find Vista to be very intuitive. Seems to me that they put pretty front ends on the same interfaces that are running once you get through the new front ends on system preferences and configuration. I find it harder to move around Vista and find things, and I have given it a good chance to become familiar with but still find it non intuitive.
I've had issues with the wireless on Vista. Easy to connect to my linksys but the connection keeps falling off and and then adds a new connection with a new name to the wireless list. I have had no issues with XP or my Mac 10.5 on my linksys router. Not sure why Vista is struggling but it has become a pain to deal with, especially when someone non technical is using the laptop and I'm not home and the connection drops.
So, if you are an XP user I wouldn't waist the money on the upgrade. Stay with XP unless you are looking to purchase a new PC or laptop and then you will be stuck with Vista whether you like it or not.
Rating:  - Product came quickly and installed easily
After hearing so many horror stories about Vista I ordered with some trepedation. I installed Vista on a Mac using bootcamp. Total no brainer and after a couple of weeks of use no problems. Happy consumer here
Rating: - Messy
Installing this edition of Windows Vista has been rather frustrating. I suppose it's too early to judge definitively whether it has been worth it. Despite my machine bearing a "Windows Vista capable" sticker, it proved to be something less than that. It took seven hours to upgrade from Windows XP. I ran the advisory program beforehand to determine if my laptop could handle Vista. The results said "OK", but when the OS was finally loaded it turned out my computer was woefully short on RAM, and several of the drivers wouldn't work (including the printer.) I managed to track down drivers on the web that would work, and installed more memory myself. So it took me a couple of days to get everything in order. I'm still getting annoying notices about "program incompatibility", so I still have some tweaking to do.
Basically, Vista is just a somewhat more souped up version of XP--it's just another Microsoft program, nothing revolutionary. Although the media center is kind of cool, and the backup system is proving to be useful. I was cursing Microsoft the first few days I ran this, but am getting used to it. (I suppose I'll have to if I want to keep using their products, when XP is finally phased out.) I'm thinking of trying Ubuntu for comparison's sake. This whole experience has kind of opened my eyes about alternatives in operating systems, so it hasn't been a waste. You could do worse than trying Vista, although be forewarned about the problems I mentioned before.
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