Microsoft to stop selling Windows XP on Monday

I have computers with Mac OS X Leopard, Ubuntu 8.04, Windows XP SP3 and Vista SP1, and I like Vista.

I have a computer with XP. I wish I had a computer with Vista.

Nah - I like Windows and I want Vista. I've been following the issues since Vistas release and they all say the same. If you are using a new machine actually built for Vista (although my current right probably should be able to run Vista if I boosted the memory), do not have legacy hardware not supported by Vista, and are using apps that support Vista then it is fine and a better OS than XP.

I'm watching a friend of mine playing with Ubuntu and having problems getting his video drivers installed (among other things). I'm watching him play with consoles and command lines and arcane tweaks and modifications. While I admit there is a certain old school appeal to that, I kinda like just being able to install my driver and go. Between Mac zealotry and lack of game support I have no interest in OSX. I've considered looking at other OS'es before and have yet to figure out what advantage they are to me (although I will probably play with Linux at some just because I'm curious but I doubt I'll switch to it). Let me ask you though - since you brought it up, what feature is there in Linux that might appeal to that I cannot do in Windows?

The fact of the matter is I've been through this dance before with XP. XP doesn't work with my hardware. My software won't run on XP. I don't like the UI. It sucks, its horrible, I'm sticking with 2000. I have yet to hear a complaint about Vista that I didn't hear when XP came out. I take that back, XP didn't have the UAC complaints. On the other hand XP did have a lot more actual problems than Vista (starting with the lack of a firewall and whole new breeds of malware coming online). Its funny how the time change, without changing.

Someday I will upgrade to Vista (well actually probably Windows 7 depending on how long it takes them to get that out the door but since that is shaping up to be Vista SP2 it will amount to the same thing). I'd do it today if I could afford it (requiring a new machine and all that). I predict I will probably be among the majority wondering what the problem is.

no you dont. vista sucks plain and simple. If its the look you want you can use linux and make it look identical to vista AND have many more features. Or leopard, which if you just want stuff to work and dont want to tinker with things all the time (linux) is the way to go. I use linux and leopard the most, and only use windows when i have to about once a week.

Those first sentences would have to be my favourite. Anyway, from one man's opinion to another...

I first used OS X in 2006 (at the time Tiger) and I liked it. So much so that I used it almost exclusively at home for 2 years. Then Vista and Leopard came out, and I find myself slowly and subconsciously shifting back to Windows.
Leopard seems a lot slower than Tiger. And then there are the little things, that finally after 2 years are starting to bug me. I could list them, but they've all been said before by Windows fans before me. It's all those things that no matter how hard you try, you just can't get used to. I'm sure this goes back the other way for those who learnt computing on the Mac platform.

In my experience, Vista is clean, quick and reliable. Yes, there are some incompatibilities around still, but day by day they're becoming fewer and fewer, as software and hardware vendors step up their game.

Between Mac zealotry and lack of game support I have no interest in OSX...

If you're a hard-core gamer, then great...But can you please stop with the "zealotry" straw-man as a reason not to use/like an operating system? It's ridiculous.

Actually, your right is irrational. It may even be more perception than actuality (although I'm not the only one who has noticed it). That said it is my perception and feeling on the subject. However, every time I turn around it seems like someone is running down Windows unnecessarily (I don't deny that it doesn't have its flaws, but it is no where as bad would have you believe) and trying to run a Mac down my throat.

Simple fact is I don't want use a Mac and part of that reason is because an irrational reaction due to that feeling (real or imagined) of having it pushed on me. I like Windows. I don't have problems with Windows. I have no interest in a Mac and if I do feel a bit of curiosity towards it gets squashed by that feeling. If there was a really compelling reason to switch - I'd get over it. I've yet to hear one that particularly compelling to me so it stays and just gets worse every time somebody brings it up.

Is it unfair - sure, am I going to change it, nope - it isn't important enough and it is one of my reasons. Perhaps it will change on its own someday but not by people teling me to. That will just make it worse.

By the way - I should say this peculiar quirk of my personality only applies to my choices.

If someone asks me about a Mac or what computer they should buy I will tell them they are good machines with a well justified reputation for ease of use, stability, and lesser malware concerns. The only issues they may want to take into consideration is possible difficulties with interoperability with other systems (work is the main concern here, some IT dept just will not support them), a narrower selection of applications (although they should be able to find something that will do most anything they need), and that they may be spending more money than they need to meet their needs (ie if all they need the computer for is email and word processing they can get a lower end Windows machine for less).

Why?

I, too, went down that road, but I've since returned to Vista.
I got Vista the week it came out, and boy were there some hardware/driver issues. ATI/AMD in particular had difficulties creating video drivers that worked.
But after several months I decided to give Vista another try, with updated drivers, and haven't looked back.

i work in an IT dept where we use some "older" programs. we were constantly looking for work arounds and fixes to get the programs working.
i do wish i had the searchbar where i could just type the program i want to run then hit enter.
i'll upgrade to vista when sp2 comes out.

There is a good portion of corporate IT that hasn't made the switch from 2000 to XP. The fact is it is a lot more difficult and costly for a corporation to switch over. There is also a lot of if it is not broke - why fix it involved.