what OS are you using now?

[difenbaker]

Which operating system are you using now? And um, could you also comment on why you're using that particular OS?

thanks.


cheers!


(im tryin to help out a friend who writing a paper on this) thanks again...

[hotzigetty]

on my comp?? XP.. coz i got it with my comp and its stabler than win98SE

[MikeUK]

XP, not particularly for features, but compatibility!

[hotzigetty]

yeah.. i just use my comp for net.. music.. audio editing and video rendering/ editing ( not anymore)..

[MikeUK]

I use my computer for gaming, I forgot to mention. And all the big games are made to run on Windows.

[jayesh]

well depends on my mood lol i have fbsd ( am a network freak sue me ) with x11 on it... then i got windows 2003 running ( using it like a client os because i have a license and am too lazy to get xp ;p ) and linux in various incarnations

my sis's mac also is used at times

[hotzigetty]

well depends on my mood lol i have fbsd ( am a network freak sue me ) with x11 on it... then i got windows 2003 running ( using it like a client os because i have a license and am too lazy to get xp ;p ) and linux in various incarnations

my sis's mac also is used at times


I lost it after the mood thing...

[Jose_R.A.M]

XP - it was just there.

[carcomptoy]

XP, not particularly for features, but compatibility!
Exactly! I'm so tempted to get a Mac, but I'm always concerned that down that line I'll need to use something that's strictly Windows:o

[brad]

My main work PC runs Windows XP, but I use a Mac laptop - best of both worlds.

[Box215]

i have xp (service pack 2 i believe). i cant imagine that anyone would still be using windows 95...

[carcomptoy]

UGH I *shudder* to think

My really old laptop is on Win98...and even that I can't stand:rolleyes:

[MikeUK]

What about windows 3.1 :p lol.

[Box215]

Or anyone using a mac...JK. But seriously, my high school used macs and nothing but trouble. That and the fact that i've been through 4 ipods in a little less than 3 years doesnt help either. I just had to take the one i have now back to the apple store cause the software failed. I dont think apple likes me :mad: I cant tell you how many times i got unexpected errors and lost was i was doing in final cut pro, although that didnt happen as much when we got G5s. And macs have too many compatibility issues...nothing shall stand in the way of my Counter Strike and me!

[YJT]

All the mac's i've used haven't given me trouble, in fact if one knows how to use the system than it can be alot faster despite having the one button. however i'll always stick to windows as it has games and the software that i need.

[MaDnEzZ]

im running mac on my laptop however my other desktops are both running xp,
havent had a problem with the mac so far so thats alright only got it in september, xp still has more applications and games which is the only reason i keep it around.

[Boasy]

Am using XP(SP2) but cant wait toget Windows Vista

[difenbaker]

It seems that winXP is the clear winner - the most prolific OS.

thanks everyone, cheers!

[MikeUK]

Am using XP(SP2) but cant wait toget Windows Vista
My bro had Windows Longhorn, the devolpment version of Windows Vista, because hes a programmer. I tried and it's pretty cool, however the version I tried obviously wasn't finished yet, but it was for programmers to be able to test things on the OS.

[brad]

My bro had Windows Longhorn, the devolpment version of Windows Vista, because hes a programmer. I tried and it's pretty cool, however the version I tried obviously wasn't finished yet, but it was for programmers to be able to test things on the OS.
The latest CTP is looking much more polished, but still runs a bit unstable.

[carcomptoy]

So it's actually going to be called Windows Vista?? I thought that that was just a developmental name...

[MikeUK]

Yup Vista is release name, Longhorn was code name...........I think, don't quote me on it. Microsoft have claimed that the OS is capable of boot up times comparable to some TVs!! Now that will be instresting.

[brad]

Yup Vista is release name, Longhorn was code name...........I think, don't quote me on it. Microsoft have claimed that the OS is capable of boot up times comparable to some TVs!! Now that will be instresting.
That is 100% right, feel free to quote him.

[carcomptoy]

OMG that would DEFINITELY be awesome!:D

[Shun]

SideShow is another awesome feature of Windows Vista, see http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2713, looks simple but it is quite diffcult to do it since the OS is not even fully loaded.

Anyway, I'm using Windows 2000 Professional/Server, Windows XP Home/Professional, Windows 2003 Server and Linux.

[Jose_R.A.M]

Yup Vista is release name, Longhorn was code name...........I think, don't quote me on it. Microsoft have claimed that the OS is capable of boot up times comparable to some TVs!! Now that will be instresting.

Don't TV'S have a boot up time...its like instant! WOW!

edit blue

[MikeUK]

Depends what tv I suppose, think mine takes about 2-3 seconds to kick in after I press the on button, it's quite slow compartivley, maybe because it's rear projection, I dunno.

[Jose_R.A.M]

Its still very fast though for a start up

[MikeUK]

Lol, yeah I see what you ment. Yeah whichever way you look at it, still super fast, I presuming it will require high specs and maybe DDR2 memory? (to acheive those start-up speeds I mean not just to run).

[Jose_R.A.M]

Hhhmm...im gonna be upgrading my pc to a new PC and/or notebook...I'll be well miffed if it turns out to be iinsufficient.

[carcomptoy]

Depends what tv I suppose, think mine takes about 2-3 seconds to kick in after I press the on button, it's quite slow compartivley, maybe because it's rear projection, I dunno.
Yeah our rear-projection TV takes several seconds before the picture comes up...

[Moby]

To vote on this poll I was using Linux - Maemo (N770 tablet) :)

.... but usually my desktops are WinXP Pro.

[carcomptoy]

You just had to point out you had that little gadget, didn't you:rolleyes:;)

UGH I wish CompUSA would charge the Nokias they have on display!!! I want to test out the N770!!

[Moby]

You just had to point out you had that little gadget, didn't you:rolleyes:;)Sorry, but its difficult to put down :D

[manav]

Using Vista Beta 2, XP x64 Pro, XP HOME sp2. Am trapped in the microsoft world!

[carcomptoy]

Who isn't:rolleyes:

[gofonz]

OS X, 10.3...Tiger came in the box and I have yet to install...sad.

Was home over the wkend, where the 'rents are running Win98 on a PIII 500mhz

[bnza8]

im using Windows XP SP2. its the most popular OS in the world.

[carcomptoy]

OS X, 10.3...Tiger came in the box and I have yet to install...sad.

Was home over the wkend, where the 'rents are running Win98 on a PIII 500mhz
*gasp* my old laptop's like that too...the one that I'm forced to use for emergencies haha

[jayesh]

anything and everything freebsd with kde, mac os 10.4 in the office , windows vista xp and in some place server 2003

[nk6600]

I'm running Windows XP Media Center 2005 on my desktop and XP SP2 on my laptop

[xor]

I voted for win2000 / NT
-on my Acer ( wich i use as "main" pc at home I use a legit version of XP Pro, after having removed all the crap). This laptop is mostly used for watching stuff,gaming,music, entertainment.
-On my Dell C400 i run windows 2000. Its a 12" lappy i take to school and work.I put 2000 on it,because its a little older,and i'm a networking student, and lets say i like it old skool when it comes to that.+ it doesn't give me lip about installing all kinds of sniffing toosl like xp used to do.
-I have an old compaq laptop 12" besides my bed wich i use for late night chatting,early mail/weather n stuff checking, wich runs NT4 workstation. I absolutely love that os on that laptop, it can run with the big boyz, all except games off course.
-Then i have Ubuntu on an old toshiba satelite wich finds himself randomly around the house. Tought my parents how to double click firefox lol, so they can surf n stuff too.
-I used to have a mac running mac os 8 smth, i hate it ! :)

[FleetwoodMax]

im using Windows Vista, only got Beta version though REALLY REALLY buggy, going back to good old linux

[fortune]

Mac OS 10.4.2

[robbii]

All the mac's i've used haven't given me trouble, in fact if one knows how to use the system than it can be alot faster despite having the one button. however i'll always stick to windows as it has games and the software that i need.I spend 40 hours a week on a Mac and the Mac doesn't normally crash but the software is another story. I find it interesting that Apple is doing the 'if you can't beat em, join em' strategy with their OS these days.

[JoN]

Windows XP Home SP2 on one partition and Vista RC1 on another partition. The former is my main usage and came installed on the Dell i'm usuing, and the latter is for testing purposes and sheer curiosity. I like Vista's interface even though i had to relearn a few things. It looks very promissing. Only downside i can see is that i have to upgrade certain components to really make the most of its visual features. But i wanted to upgrade the measly 512mb ram anyways.

>i could use this part to take pot shot at any of the other OSes, but i wont cos i'm not the petty and i realise they are very good systems too and deserve their place in the market aswell.<

[fabarati]

well right now i'm running win xp, but i also run win vista (rc1) and osx (on my pc natively)

[eddyhoole]

I'm Using Windows Vista Ultimate and XP proSP2 on two seperate hardrives on the same machine.. currently more Vista but it has its limitations on sertain things at the moment so can always switch back to XP for compatabilty when needed..

:angel7:

[f_alejandro]

Windows XP Pro SP2 here. I think the most stable OS I have ever used and the abundant software and hardware it supports.

Planning on Vista with a new notebook but quite scared about the reviews and rumors about it. They said Microsoft will not release a SP on vista, but now Service Pack 1 is being developed and will debut half of 2007, i think i will think twice now if i will get a vista-preinstalled notebook.

To be honest the first reason why i will try vista is the Aero interface... lol. second on the new "security" features. But i'm happy with my WindowsXP Vista Transformation pack that emulates the look and feel of Vista. And the flip-interface program for animating that smooth flip-tiled window-switching like Vista. quite happy and entertained with it though. :D

[Jose_R.A.M]

Updated poll with Vista option for early Vista users.

[eddyhoole]

Thanks For the vista addition to the pole looks like i'm the first to give vista a point... :toothy10: with most, almost all new pre istalled OS pc's vista is going to be the new choice so soon as with xp people will just have vista... as MS has and still will have the monopoly when it comes to OS's.. for quiet some time still...

:eek:

[jayesh]

you know i don't see a lot of xp users jumping onto the vista bandwagon anytime soon. Firstly its freaking expensive... secondly if u are one of the millions of users who has bought a creative product... well u are out of luck. Creative has fallen by the wayside when it comes to Vista support.They are only supporting their current gen products a la the x-fi. Anyone with an audigy 4 or below is plain out of luck. audigy4 has just very basic support just stereo sound!! No dts support or digital playback.

And yeah before u consider me a cheapskate for saying vista is expensive... i already have 10 licenses of the damn os lying with me in my technet/msdn account and 5 that came in directly from ms when i was reviewing the os.

[JoN]

Updated poll with Vista option for early Vista users.

no fair! i voted before the change an i use vista exclusively now. :p

[robbii]

well right now i'm running win xp, but i also run win vista (rc1) and osx (on my pc natively)You are running OSX on a pc? Please elaborate

[f_alejandro]

Updated poll with Vista option for early Vista users.

Can I somehow recast my vote. im using Vista Business now. :D

[grschinon]

Which operating system are you using now? And um, could you also comment on why you're using that particular OS?

GNU/Linux and FreeBSD here. Mostly the former.

There are many reasons why I made that choice. Firstly there's the question of stability. The only reason I have to reboot the NAT/gateway/server machine here is if I upgrade the kernel. Otherwise it would be chugging along merrily for months at a time.

The second main reason is economics. I'm self-employed and therefore use my software for professional purposes. There's no way I can afford to pay for an O/S the price of Windows, Office software and the forced upgrades each time a client sends a file produced by a newer version than the one I have. I don't have to worry about antivirus or antispyware software either, or for the upgrade subscriptions, and there's a firewall supplied with the base O/S so I don't need to go out and buy one of those either. Nor do I have to go out and buy software for everyday use.

Thirdly: everything I use here except for RealPlayer and Acrobat Reader is Open Source. I refuse to run anything on my machines of which I cannot audit the source code unless there really is no choice.

Fourthly: all the latest and greatest Windows software only works on XP+SP2 or Vista, and none of my hardware is able to run that. I have a network of 4 machines, of which 3 are workstations (2 desktops, 1 laptop). How much do you reckon it's going to cost me to keep on upgrading those?

Finally, I don't want some kind of glitzy GUI hiding what's really happening in the machine from me, and I want a powerful shell.

Nope. There's an Open Source solution that happens to cost me nothing except for contributing back to the FLOSS community from time to time (I've contributed code to a few Open Source projects).

I want reasonably-priced hardware (so that rules out Apple hardware right off the bat) and I don't want to have to take out a mortgage on my home to pay for an unstable O/S plus all the accessories and their updates to prevent my machine from being pwned within 10 seconds of connecting it to the 'Net, plus all the productivity software and the forced upgrades etc etc etc.

[robbii]

GNU/Linux and FreeBSD here. Mostly the former.

There are many reasons why I made that choice. you sir have given every reason that has kept the mainstream consumer away from computers. You should have some respect to the development that apple and MS have accomplished to bring computing to the masses. Windows and mac OS aren't perfect but what percentage of computer users have the time, desire or patience to work on computers that you do.

Nothing personal, just my opinion that's all.

[grschinon]

you sir have given every reason that has kept the mainstream consumer away from computers. You should have some respect to the development that apple and MS have accomplished to bring computing to the masses. Windows and mac OS aren't perfect but what percentage of computer users have the time, desire or patience to work on computers that you do.

Each unto his own. If you'd rather not learn about the tools you use and pay dearly for that privilege, that's your prerogative, and I'd be the last person to lambast you personally if you use your tools responsibly (with adequate software protection, not using IE and Outlook Express etc.).

However, bear in mind that there are huge numbers of people out there who do not use their machines responsibly, and it's people like myself, who administrate servers, who have to bear the brunt of their unwillingness to learn better.

My webserver logs are full of attempts to crack in and exploit vulnerabilities in IIS. My mailserver is bombarded with pieces of spam, most of which are sent by infected Windows machines being used by spammers as open proxies.

THAT is the contribution that Microsoft has made to the Internet if you ask me. It's a contribution I could really do without, and it's the reason why I have very little respect for Microsoft's work over the past 10-12 years.

From the end-user's point of view, I'm sure Microsoft has made leaps and bounds in usability and user-friendliness (the absence of a good shell and scriptable command-line tools for processing images and video and burning CDs/DVDs would still drive me round the bend in 5 seconds flat), but you have to think out of the box. You have to bear in mind the effect that software has for those who work "behind the scenes" as it were, and the fallout after Microsoft's contribution is not a pretty sight.

[Shun]

the absence of a good shell and scriptable command-line tools for processing images and video and burning CDs/DVDs would still drive me round the bend in 5 seconds flat
FYI, Windows PowerShell from Microsoft is as power as any shell for Unix/Linux/BSD, if not better. There is WMI for simple scripting too.

To burn disc, the ability to script it is introduce in Windows Vista. Alternative, there is a command line tool NEROCMD.EXE from Nero Burning ROM.

[robbii]

If you'd rather not learn about the tools you use and pay dearly for that privilege...use your tools responsibly (with adequate software protection, not using IE and Outlook Express etc.).Isn't that the entire philosphy of MAC OS being you don't need to be an expert to use a computer safely?However, bear in mind that there are huge numbers of people out there who do not use their machines responsibly, and it's people like myself, who administrate servers, who have to bear the brunt of their unwillingness to learn better.Are you saying your employment is dependent on the masses of people you criticize?(the absence of a good shell and scriptable command-line toolsThe success of MS and Apple is the enablement of any person to operate a computer w/o knowledge of command lines, this goes back to my point of ALL computer users do NOT have the time, desire or patience to work on computers that you do.

My opinion is only that.

[MikeUK]

And also the reason MS software gets bombarded and attacked so much more then other is because it's the most popular. My analogy is why learn how to hot wire a Noble (uncommon english car) when there are 1000s of Fiesta's around to steal.

[grschinon]

FYI, Windows PowerShell from Microsoft is as power as any shell for Unix/Linux/BSD, if not better. There is WMI for simple scripting too.

That and NEROCMD.EXE address some of the gripes I have with Windows.

Isn't that the entire philosphy of MAC OS being you don't need to be an expert to use a computer safely?

It probably is. But how many people use Mac systems compared to Wintendo?

Are you saying your employment is dependent on the masses of people you criticize?

No, I'm saying that it is made far more difficult and that I'm consequently less productive because of them.

The success of MS and Apple is the enablement of any person to operate a computer w/o knowledge of command lines, this goes back to my point of ALL computer users do NOT have the time, desire or patience to work on computers that you do.

I tend to agree with the statement that M$ and Apple have brought computing power to the masses, and it's no bad thing either. What makes me worried is the corners that were cut by one of the above and the way that aesthetics were given priority over system security. The end result of those corners being cut is the current state of the Internet and the rampant criminality infesting it.

If you put a 'Net-connected machine into the hands of a person uneducated in how the thing works and how to practise safe hex, then you're just as responsible for the machine being cracked into and taken over as the criminal doing the cracking. The only way to make the problem go away is to provide software that's safe (and that's never going to happen 100%, regardless of the O/S and software platform) and/or to educate users. Those that don't want to be educated should only be provided with limited 'Net access in order to help prevent infection in the first place and mitigate the effects of it when it happens.

[robbii]

Those that don't want to be educated should only be provided with limited 'Net access in order to help prevent infection in the first place and mitigate the effects of it when it happens.I understand your discontent w/irresponsible computer use but I think you're a bit extreme in your viewpoint. Are you suggesting that people be required to qualify to use whatever application they choose to purchase?

[grschinon]

I understand your discontent w/irresponsible computer use but I think you're a bit extreme in your viewpoint. Are you suggesting that people be required to qualify to use whatever application they choose to purchase?

It does sound harsh, I know, and I don't like the implications WRT free (in the FSF meaning of "free") use of the Internet. If you have a better idea, I'm all ears!

[robbii]

It does sound harsh, I know, and I don't like the implications WRT free (in the FSF meaning of "free") use of the Internet. If you have a better idea, I'm all ears!I don't have a solution which means I can't complain. To your point...people shall be victims until they use responsibly. I can only speak for myself, but I would never criticize someone for not being a computer power user or expert.

I do think it's funny that apple's latest computers run windows now. Irony. It's proof that what may be a better product is no match to what consumers choose to spend their money on.

[grschinon]

I don't have a solution which means I can't complain. To your point...people shall be victims until they use responsibly. I can only speak for myself, but I would never criticize someone for not being a computer power user or expert.

Nor would I. However, I *do* blame companies such as ISPs and O/S publishers for leading people to believe that they need no knowledge whatsoever in order to access the Internet safely, because that is patently false.

Tell me what you think of this: http://blog.lamproie.eu/themes/blog.php?id=10

[grschinon]

And also the reason MS software gets bombarded and attacked so much more then other is because it's the most popular. My analogy is why learn how to hot wire a Noble (uncommon english car) when there are 1000s of Fiesta's around to steal.

Because a Fiesta isn't worth nicking? :)

More seriously, it's more complicated than that. You also have to factor in the ease with which you can break into the car/computer. If a mugger is walking down the street and there are 9 little old ladies and one fully-armed ninja in the immediate vicinity, it's pretty obvious who the mugger is going to attack.

If we now reverse the proportions and put 9 fully-armed ninjas and one little old lady near the mugger, are you saying that the mugger is going to go for one of the ninjas merely because there are more of them?

Most users of MS software simply don't know how to secure their machines adequately, leaving them far more vulnerable to attack than anything else. They're the "little old ladies" of the computer world.

[Shun]

LOL, if there are 10 equally skilled martial art experts, 1 is good in saber while the other 9 are good in sword, would you learn the weakness of the saber or the sword if you would like to make a name for yourself?

The main fault with your analog is you are basing on the idea that the targets are very different in strength, it wouldn't stand when they are as good, :)

Things has changed, the concept that one OS is more secure than another is already outdated. These days crackers mostly look for loopholes in application rather than OSes because major OSes are actually as secure now.

Given a "responsible" user, it doesn't matter if he/she is using Windows or another OS, it can be secured. As for "irresponsible" user, it doesn't matter too because he/she will need restrictions to be removed and install all kind of junk that is available, :D

You do get 1 thing correct though, if there are "9 old ladies"... there are many users with old versions or not updated Windows that continue to cause most of the troubles, :(

[VodaMatt]

If there was an option for it I'd select multiple. I'm running all of the last 4 (minus the other), 3 on a laptop and 1 on a desktop, and I use them all roughly equally. LOL

[f_alejandro]

@grschinon:


I barely understand you sir... quite a bit, but what was stated by most is true. a car is different from an OS, and the teenage mutant ninja turtles are not OSs too... perhaps what we are talking about here are what the OSs conditions and vulnerabilities I presume... But dont be mislead. Just like what im saying, rules and regulations only applies for those "following citizens" and the rest of the world don't care.

speaking of security for which i have read in your posts, well almost everyone is vulnerable to attacks. Like MikeUK says, mostly attacks are occassionally on those abundant... Again, no more figure of speech here.

Maybe I won't go on further, to make things clearer, let's have an example.... The FAA, sometime ago was shut down because the entire system was unable to broadcast flight because of the entire system unable to harness the requested operation. This issue was not exploited much because the platform in use is NOT Windows... if it is, it's half of the world populations mouth. Wether we are using any OSs, educated or uneducated, security is still at risk.

By the way, most people who use computers can read. mostly, some are curious, some are stupids...

[ferrary4real]

i use a zinox laptop at the moment

[kepla]

I'm running Symbian 60 on my phones and a wide variety of Op Systems on my PCs:
Linux (several different distros, depending on application),
BeOS (a bit old now but still very usefull & interesting new developments),
Minix 3 (an interesting 'take' on one of the earliest PC op systems),
MenuetOS (undertest but actually already quite usefull),
FreeDOS (uncluttered and surprisingly usefull),
Several others occasionally are given a try - the above are just the ones I use frequently.
My reasons for using the above are based on logical criteria:
Value-for-money (some op systems are very expensive but all those I use are excellent V-F-M) I feel this is very important and often neglected.
Efficiency - I don't want to have an op system which uses most of the computer's power and resources just running itself. Good software is efficient, inefficiency is a mark of poorly-written software.
Security - I feel that an op system should be 'naturally secure' without having to install all sorts of inefficient 'extras' - provided the user isn't doing something really stupid (like, for example, accessing the internet while logged-on as the root user).
Accessibility - I want to be able to configure the machine to run the way I want it to be without having to jump through hoops to find 'hidden' settings. This means having a fully-featured user interface avialable ( often called a 'shell') with proper scripting and regular expression parsing available.
Choice - I want to be able to choose what software I run and how it is installed, and this includes being able to choose my own preference of user interface (GUI or shell).
Stability - I don't want the machine to crash suddenly thanks to a software problem. If I need to leave a PC running for six months then I need to know that it will keep on running for six months without any hassle.
Comments invited.
:hippy2:

[carcomptoy]

What's Zinox:confused:

[VodaMatt]

Does anyone know if there's a Linux version that's been compiled to run on the latest Nseries phones? Not that I'd take the risk just yet with my N95 LOL. I know that things like iPod Nano's and such have been known to use them so I figured there may be.

[carcomptoy]

Speaking of Linux, I'm replacing my E70 with...*drumroll* a MOTOROKR E6! Any tips and tricks and advice on Linux? I'm quite nervous, but I was feeling adventurous :o

This coming from the Motorola hater, right? hahahaha

[brad]

@VodaMatt - Not yet, though I can imagine it won't be long.

[anyer]

dreaming VISTA,
have to upgrade hardware first...

[Rush]

I use Mac OS X at home, and Win XP at work.

[666joe]

XP but I still prefer W2000 for ease of operation....

Not going to make the Vista jump until absolutley neccessary.

[markuserectus]

Moved to Vista a few months ago Not much is different its definatly not worth the upgrade, I wish I stayed with XP MCE.

[Jose_R.A.M]

My ordered laptop well over a month ago (and still won't arrive any time soon, damn you Dell) won't be having Vista as I specifically asked for XP instead (they gave me MCE edition)

I know that certain compatibility issues can be fixed by downloading drivers, but I don't want that 'hassle'. Plus, current games still run faster on XP.

Maybe in a year or when SP1 or whenever it's widely accepted that Vista is good-to-go I'll "upgrade".

If Dell delays again, I might just jump ship completely to a MBP.

[Shun]

My advise is to get Vista for new system, drivers are shipped together with the installion. If you have hardware that is imcompatible with Vista, you can install XP, either by using an existing XP media disc or you can request for the disc from the vendor. If your system comes with XP, you will have to pay for the upgrade to Vista later.

I've upgraded to Vista a few months ago, some problems with the display initially but solved with new drivers. So far, the system is running perfectly.

I like the Search that's incorporated into the Start Menu, access to application and documents is so much faster with the keyboard than previous version of Windows. After pressing the Windows key, the Start Menu popup and focus on the Search. Type in any part of an item name and the system will comes up with a matching list, select it to open the item. For example, to start OpenOffice.org Write, type in "wr", the application appear and just select it by pressing Enter. Great for efficient users who use the keyboard instead of mousing around slowly.

Backup/Restore is a new feature I love and hate. I like it because it can image the OS which allows me to restore to a prefined configuration. For example, after installing and configuring the OS, I activate it and do a system backup immediately. I can then do anything to the system without worrying that I might have to install the OS from fresh, and I'm going to restore it before applying SP1 when it is available, :) However, the Backup/Restore does not allow selections folders or files and runs with administrator rights... I have to rely on other software for daily backup, :(

There are many changes to the system beneath the UI, eg. UAC, enhanced Firewall, integrated .NET Framework, IE protected mode and etc. I will advise everyone to get Vista with new purchase, but for current XP users, good to upgrade but no hurry, wait for SP1, :)

PS: UAC (User Account Control) is a very good feature that many peoples failed to understand the benefits. Basically, it grant two access tokens to users of local Administrators group; the standard user token is used for non-administraton job and administrator token is used only when necessary. IMHO, it's not prefect but still a nice attempt that should overcome some security issues with users that expect idiot-proof protection without sacrificing full system access.

[Peter33]

I am using XP and Mac, but i would recommend for Xp.

[crmpicco]

sadly Windows XP Home SP2 but badly want to change over to Ubuntu Linux.....just the hassle factor :-(

Picco

[carcomptoy]

I am using XP and Mac, but i would recommend for Xp.
Not that I disagree, but being one of the few people to say that, why do you say that??

[gordonfreeman]

Was on vista for practically all year, but the fact my soundcard wouldn't work most of the time, slow game performance and a general slower clunky performance put me off until at least after they release SP1.

Although when formatting my drive and putting XP back on I inadvertantly formatted the wrong drive.....byebye 300gb of music, movies and TV shows :(

[aarathi]

Now i am using Windows XP. All hardwares and softwares are supported in this Os. It is very user friendly.

[gobile]

Xp of course

[kepla]

I have a couple of machines running BeOS, several running various flavours of Linux - Ubuntu, Red Hat and Mandriva - and a really old machine running DOS for compatibility purposes. Obviously I steer well clear of Micro$oft Windoze, in all its devilish guises, though I will be running ReactOS on a test machine when it goes to beta.

[mazed]

Iam using window 7 - it is verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry fast!!

[kepla]

Iam using window 7 - it is verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry fast!!
Really - is Windows 7 really fast ? I am surpirsed because normally newer versions of Windows are comparatively slow and required very powerfull hardware to even run acceptabley on.
So, if WIndows 7 is fast then do you just only need a fairly slow and cheap processor and not too much memory ?