I have drawn the line at Windows Vista. Never for me. When XP falls by the wayside, I will have to choose between a Mac and Linux. Adios, Microsoft.
Agree, this old bucket of bolts will be dying soon … my next computer will be a Mac or a pure Linux system … no more Microsoft. Have been patient sense Window 3.0 … no more. Dummy me.
I really enjoy working in C#. I've had to stick with C++ and ANSI C over the last couple years, so .Net 2.0 took a back burner. I simply didn't have time. The new .Net 3.0 stuff just arrived on the scene. I grabbed a CTP of the "Orcas" release of Visual Studio. It requires .Net 3.0. The bad news is that I can't load it on Windows 2000. You must have XP Pro or later. I only have that on my company laptop. My Windows 2000 machines are at the end of the line without an upgrade. I'm now torn with the prospect of having to put Vista on some machine so my skills aren't made obsolete by the march of technology.
I have to keep on the leading edge of Linux anyway. The C++ project must compile and run on Windows XP and Linux. The project shifted to a Java based GUI to dodge the Windows GUI lock-in.
I've worked in Windows for the last 16 years. The Win32 API has been a mainstay. That is about to be replaced by a new WCF/WPF API. The next generation Microsoft systems will have a whole new OS API to master. In this business you must remain competent or watch others take opportunities that you aren't qualified to handle. My UNIX system programming skills date back to 1980 and continue to serve me well in the Linux world. Still, you can't leave all your eggs in one basket.