[Sungirl]

THANKS TO ANY AND ALL FOR ADVICE.

[ZULU]

Get Linux.

Bill Gates is a gun-grabbing billionaire liberal. He doesn't need any more conservative dollars.

[moonman]

Windows XP Professional Edition

[DallasMike]

You should put XP back on your list. If you have a really good reason for not using XP (and I would like to hear the reason if you do), go for Windows 2000. Unless this a 4-year old second-hand machine that you're getting, do not put on Windows 98 or Windows ME. Don't even think about it.

I love Linux and have used it for years, but it's still mostly for power users and tweakers. It might be a good choice for the general public in 3 or 4 more years.

If this is a new machine that you're buying and you have to make some trade-offs, go for a faster hard drive (7,200 RPM) and lots of fast memory rather than a more powerful processor.

FWIW in terms of credibility, I write software for a living. Big ol' databases that eat memory and hard disk space like Rosie O'Donnell eats Twinkies.

[Tailback]

I have a home network of two computers which allows both my wife and I to have our own PC's and if a friend comes over we can network game. I'm currently on Win98 but am probably going to upgrade to 2000. WinXP would require me to pay an additional licensing fee to install it on another PC which I am frankly not willing to do.

[K7TNW]

WIN2K. Rock solid!

[Don Corleone]

Do NOT, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, get Windows ME. You will be just buying yourself hours and hours of pain and misery.

It is pure JUNK!

[jwh_Denver]

Stay away from 98, it's too unstable and needs to be re-installed every now and then because it gets cluttered up. I now have Win2k and it is a very stable OS and will use memory far better than 98. There's no comparison in my book between Win2k and 98. I don't know that much about XP but starting out with a new OS that is what I would go with unless there are too many negatives I haven't heard about. Normally it is a good idea to stay away from any new OS for about a year from Microsoft cause of the bugs they haven't fixed.

[VOA]

I have Windows 2000 Professional on my computer, but then I'm running
some large database material.

Generally, if you are running lots of heavy programs, but no gaming, Win2000 Pro is
very good and stable.

But my guess is that for your home use...WinXP is good,
Even if there are glitches to be cleared out.
Plan B: Get Win ME, then upgrade to XP in a while when the glitches are worked out.

[beckett]

Why is XP out? It's a perfectly reliable system and no more difficult for home use than any of the others you've listed. Besides, you will be glad you got it in a few years when some of the others are less supported by developers and XP is still a standard --- amortization applies in operating systems too.

Rule of thumb #1: Avoid the bleeding edge, i.e., don't be the first in line with the geeks to get the latest stuff.
Rule of thumb #2: After a reasonable interval to allow for the more outrageous bugs to be discovered and corrected, get the latest technology.

[2OOOll]

I just want it for home use...no networks....no administrators. Simple, efficient and stable.

If you were Win95 user you should feel at home with Win98 SE, but make sure it is the Second Edition – some bugs, problems removed. I had just installed one on a Pentium IV 1.8GHz machine, after removing XP. Too many things did not cooperate with XP. The eye candy looks, the nagging, the hardware and software incompatibility, the privacy/security issues, are too big a price to pay for a “stable” Operating System.
Personally, I dislike XP and consider it a spyware.

More opinion on XP.

Win98 SE will let you install and run virtually every program out there. Very straightforward to use. That is all you need of an operating system. On a fast machine with 256MB RAM it will sing.

Good luck tomorrow! If it is a new computer you are buying it will make you happy pretty much regardless of what OS you decide upon.

[SamAdams76]

I don't even think you could get Windows98 anymore and you wouldn't want it anyway. It crashes too much.

I've been running Windows XP for two months now and it has yet to crash a single time. By far it is the best operating system I have ever used. And I go all the way back to DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1.

If you don't get XP, you will regret it later.

[2OOOll]

Sungirl, will you tell us what Religion Operating System you have selected

[New Horizon]

XP Pro...fixed all incompatibilities on my home PC that Windows 98 through Windows 2000 Pro had troubles with (i.e. - scanner, USB attached devices, etc.)

Never crashed, not once.

[ChadGore]

Get Linux. It rocks.

[jamaly]

You will have a tough time finding anything except an XP. I just bought a new computer in late December and couldn't get anything but XP. I bought a Compaq custom made for my home office. It was a total lemon. I had to send it back. After several people told me that Dell was the best on the market I ordered a Dell dude. It is great! I got almost exactly the same things on the Dell and I saved $700. But, the BEST thing about Dell is that they have a service agreement for $139 for 3 years were if they can't fix any problem over the phone they send someone out to your home or office to fix it for you THE VERY NEXT DAY! I am not aware of anyone else that offers that kind of service.

I am not crazy about XP, but I am adjusting. I do think I would love it, if I ever had time to sit down and play with it until I was more knowledgeable about all it can do.

Buy a DELL dude!!

[WIMom]

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