"I would think that there are a lot of people out there like me who are fed up with MS....especially after looking at VISTA and its bloatware...and the outragious and confusing prices.....I think MS has shot themselves in the foot big time."
You may want to think again. Despite the pounding that Microsoft gets on the internet, most people are not fed up with Windows. People are able to use it problem free for the most part. And the likelihood is that most people will be using Vista in the coming years just like they use XP now.
It's best to never let your dislike for a product somehow be mistaken as a general dislike in the overall population.
I have between now and the time they stop support of XP to decide....
Windows is a monopoly....and all that that means.
Linux is a viable alternative and I will explore it when the time comes.
Vista is over priced and Linux is reasonable....in most cases FREE.