Don’t buy Windows Vista. If you buy a new computer next year and have a choice, stick with Windows XP and run a firewall – I use and recommend ZoneAlarm – anti-virus (Norton) and anti-spyware (AdAware and Spywareblaster). In about four years time you’ll have to stop using WXP because the security updates will have stopped coming, but by then you’ll be ready to buy a Mac. I know I will.
Vista is going to be horrendous; it will add a little more kernel security (if you don’t know what this means don’t worry, it doesn’t matter much to you) and some pretty screens at the cost of doubling (minimum) your RAM and forcing you to add a more expensive graphics card (WXP works on this machine with the card I bought in 1997).
What’s wrong with Vista? Everything, really. Read http://moishelettvin.blogspot.com/2006/11/windows-shutdown-crapfest.htmland http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/11/21.html and then consider that this is ONLY about the shutdown menu; not the code that makes it work, just what’s actually listed on it.
Good grief.
Take the money you would need to spend to upgrade to Vista and go to Venice or Prague for the weekend. Your old computer will work just fine when you get back and you’ll have had a great weekend, not two days (or more) of grief as you tried to get Vista to work.
There. No more technology.
I feel so happy.