[TalonDJ]

Yes, BUT, Unix is much more portable. It has been around longer and does not appear to be going away. It's soul is the same as Linux and Mac OSX. Most of what you know about Windows will probably change when they get Longhorn out anyway. I would consider getting into Unix as a job security move. It really is easier to get really into since it makes more sense than windows.

[JenB]

But my long-term goals do NOT include being a sys admin. Oh, it's fun as a grad-school job, but I want to program.

Besides, I've learned several different revisions of Windows so far (started with 3.11, went to 95 and 98, fooled with ME for a while, now I'm on XP) and I doubt Longhorn will be that hard to learn.

Anyway I am against an OS that has to be configured to automatically mount the cd drive.