I have not tried Windows Vista yet(which is why I have given such a rating for Help Functionality and all, as I could not give a zero rating), but I have heard a lot about it from people, and read about it from papers and various web sites. This is what I deduce.
The OS seems to be rich on features, it has a richer GUI than XP and searching is a lot easier with Vista.
It has the following versions
Vista Business
Vista Enterprise
Vista Home Basic
Vista Home Premium
Vista Ultimate
Vista Starter
As you can probably guess, Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, and Vista Starter are for Home users, the rest are for corporate users.
Below is a link for the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, by Microsoft. It tells you what kind of configuration you need for VISTA. It makes you download a 6.6 MB file to your system, which will check your configuration and let you know the results accordingly.
https://microsoft.com/downloads/thankyou.aspx?familyId=42B5AC83-C24F-4863-A389-3FFC194924F8&displayLang=en
Below is a link for the adviser from CNET. I always think that Microsoft gives a modest estimate of what kind of configuration is required for their OS. So even if you do not go through the Microsoft advisor, I strongly recommend you to go through the CNET one. The CNET adviser is also a shorter download, a few KBs.
https://help.cnet.com/vista/4520-3672_7-6671810.html?tag=tip Warning for iPod Users
I have heard that people owning iPods have been advised by Apple to delay the upgrade to Vista. There seems to be some glitches in Vista which could possibly render your iPod useless. Apple recommends you to wait for a few weeks, after which it will come out with an Update for your iPod as well as iTunes which should fix the problem.
CONFIGURATION
If you have gone to the CNET link above already you need not go through the following and directly jump to MY RECOMMENDED CONFIGURATION
You need to have a the following configuration on your PC to shift to Vista according to CNET(for finer details please visit the link I have given)
Minimum
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD equivalent 2.0 Ghz and above
RAM: 1 GB
Graphics Accelerator Card(GAC): 64 MB Nvdia Card.(This option is NOT avoidable!)
DVD: You should have a DVD Writer or at least a DVD Rom.(Since the installation disc is a DVD)
HDD Space: 40 GB
Free Space Required: 15 GB.
Maximum
Processor: Intel Core Duo 64 or AMD Equivalent 2.8 Ghz and above
RAM: 2 GB
GAC: 256 MB Nvdia Card
DVD: DVD Writer
HDD Space: 120 GB
Free Space Required: 20 GB
MY RECOMMENDED CONFIGURATION
Processor: Intel Core Duo 64 or AMD Equivalent 3.0 Ghz and above
RAM: 2-3GB
GAC: 512 MB Nvdia Card(Not yet available in India, you might as well wait)
DVD: DVD Writer
HDD Space: 256 GB
Free Space: 40 GB.
In my case my Laptop and my Desktop do not cover even the minimum requirements. I have a 1.73 Ghz in my laptop(Rated 2.68 Ghz) 2.4 Ghz on my PC, 503.8 MB Ram on both, an 845 Motherboard on my PC, meaning that for a GAC I would have to upgrade my motherboard to an 865 GBF
All in all, it will cost me a good Rs. 25, 000 for my PC. And my laptop can not be upgraded in any case except for the Ram. So I would not be shifting to Vista any time soon. And if you have a laptop which is similar to mine, as in it does not have a GAC please do not throw it away. Windows XP is still quite a good OS and I think the support will continue for sometime. Plus the price for the new OS which ranges from$100 to$300 is not added to the 25, 000 I have quoted. So all in all shifting to the new OS will make a huge dent in your pocket.
However, all said and done if you are buying a new PC or Laptop or if you are upgrading your PC in any case, you might as well consider it, because this OS ladies and gentlemen whether you like it or not, is the future. Sooner or later we are going to have to shift. But in this case I would say later is better than sooner.
The reason I have given the My recommended configuration is that I have noticed, that every time I took a not so great configuration while shifting OSs, I had to suffer when the next OS came around. I was offered an 865 Motherboard with 3.2 Ghz processor, but I shrugged it off saying I did not need it! How I wish I had not done that, it would have saved me at least Rs. 10, 000… Too late for me now, but not for you. Learn from my mistakes and deck up your configuration now itself. They say technology becomes obsolete in no time. But my friend who had taken a 3.2 Pentium 4 back in 2004 with a 256MB GAC still can move onto Vista without an upgrade. So please take my advice.
Warning to all Broadband Users
Please got through the Microsoft Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, it will tell you whether or not the hardware that you are using to connect to your ISP(in my case it is a USB modem) is compatible with Windows Vista. I found out that my USB modem is not. So you need to speak to your ISP about your hardware and what kind of upgrades you can get and for what price. I recon a lot of Broadband users having USB modems will face this problem so please take care. If you have doubts about any of your hardware’s compatibility with Vista please run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. Do this especially if your hardware is more than 3-4 years old.
From previous experience, I would strongly recommend not to rush into Vista, there are bound to be some glitches in the OS which would be eventually discovered. Hence it would be better to wait and watch. All in all you need to wait for a while to see how many glitches Vista has and then when you are sure that your requirements justify the cost, then and only then upgrade to Vista. But for the most of us, it is not a matter of if, but a matter of when.