Vista? No thanks.

Microsoft is getting ready to roll out Vista and I really can't think of any good reason to upgrade.

There are 6 different versions to choose from, so it's not immediately clear to me which one is most suitable. Then there also seems to be a pretty draconian license agreement that should put most people off.

Perhaps if I bought a new machine (and actually I'd have to have the latest hardware to be able to run the beast considering its requirements) and had Vista pre-installed then I might just keep it. I think this reason, rather than anything positively attractive, is going to be why most future Vista owners will have this product. Incidentally, if you do buy a new machine but decide that you don't want Vista (or any previous incarnation of Windows) you can decline the User Agreement and get cash.

Ubuntu So, what's the alternative? Linux of course. I can recommend Ubuntu which I tried it out earlier this week. "Edgy Eft" is the name of their latest version and it's great! Have got it dual booting with XP so I can still run Windows if and when I need it. It connected to the internet and had a local version of nimisis.com running in no time at all. Ubuntu clearly deserves its award for the "Most user friendly distribution." It's stable, fast, secure (well, much more than Windows is) and free!