[Notary Sojac]

If you want to run the latest and greatest software, you will usually have to upgrade hardware also.

I agree with this in the case of PC gaming. The game developers have apparently been getting kickbacks from the video card companies for a decade.

But an operating system has as its essential task a consistent interface for file access, keyboard, video, networking and printing. That's about it. There is no reason why an improved OS should not be able to run faster than its predecessors, and "Brand A" has shown that from time to time that can be done.

[PushinTin]

I think you forgot that little security thingy...OS system are definitely hampered by security upgrades. Un-install your security for XP and see how much faster it runs. Other than that I agree with the ‘more for gamers’ statement. Basic Word Processing/Excel/Internet, should run on anything.