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Far be it for me to disagree with my esteemed colleague Robert Mitchell that XP downgrade are dumb but ah... eh... gosh, Mitchell you are so wrong on this one!

Sure, I agree, boy do I agree, that if users dislike Windows they should move to desktop Linux or Mac OS X, but I'm also realistic enough to know that many of them won't do it. Microsoft's mind-control ray is finally weakening, but I know darn well that most people would still use a Windows machines even if you put -- sob! -- that Rolls Royce of latops, the Mac Air into their hands.

So while I certainly think that would-be business Windows PC buyers should check out say the Lenovo R61 ThinkPad with SLED (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop) 10 SP1, I know darn well most of them will still buy a Windows powered PC.

And, so long as they're going to do that, they should pick the best possible Windows. That, my friend is not, NOT, Vista SP1. It's Windows XP SP3. Yes, even with the reboot problems. Besides, for once, that wasn't so much Microsoft's fault as it was other software vendors' sloppy workmanship. Yes, I'm looking at you, Symantec.

Mitchell asks why people are so ticked off by Vista. I could, and have, gone on for thousands of words, explaining why in detail, Vista's a stinker. But, let sum it up. Vista is the 1985 Yugo GV of Windows operating systems. It's slow, it operates badly, and it smells bad. Which reminds me, do you know how to make a Yugo go 60 MPH? Push it off a cliff.

No consumer should be buying XP downgrades over Vista. Here's why. [read more]

I think I've made it clear how I feel about Vista, but there's another matter. Mitchell says that "Vista owners can find plenty of resources for hammering Vista into a very usable and customized form." He's right, but how many of you really want to 'hammer' on your PC to get it to be usable? I don't, and I'm the kind of person who does enjoy tinkering endlessly with computers and operating systems. There's a difference though between tuning a PC up for maximum performance and laboring over one to just get it into working equipment.

Do you know how long it took me to get Vista running correctly, not well, just right enough so that all the peripherals and software ran correctly? It took me 16 lousy months from when it was first released to get Vista to run decently. And, I've been working with computers since CP/M-80 was the operating system of choice for PCs! And, you want some poor user to suffer with Vista!

Heck, Intel refused Vista, why shouldn't you?

The only intelligent choice from where I sit for a Windows user who wants a new PC and won't give up on Windows is to ask, no demand XP. Vista: Just say no.

One final thought. I wonder what Bill Gates will be running on his computers now that he's bid Microsoft adieu. Hmmm...

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