Vista: Definitely a downgrade

OK, I'm prejudiced. I admit it (again). 

But I really do not like Vista. It seems to be Microsoft's attempt to make its operating system as much a joke as Mac's OS. 

I use XP. I put XP on my new HP laptop, despite warnings from HP to NOT do so. 

Not only has my laptop NOT quit functioning, but I have found GIGABYTES of space on the hard drive that I did not have with the Vista that came pre-packaged on the machine. 

I work with Macs every day. When someone says they never crash, it must be because they are willing to spend thousands of dinero to do nothing more than some light word processing ... in an un-networked environment. 

Sure XP is not completely stable. Sure I have had trouble with programs that have hijacked my machine. 

But, you know what? I would rather fight those problems than have to replace my expensive software with a version that (MIGHT) run on Vista. 

Fortunately, I bought a copy of XP for my daughter when her college required the upgrade from 98 to XP. 

Will I buy whatever comes out after Vista? Only if the majority of reviewers agree it is better than XP!