Help me pick my OSes.

[Sidoh]

So I've ordered a data hard drive, and I'd like to redo the operating systems on my desktop before classes start getting too sticky.

1) Which version of Windows should I use?

I'm unsure how often I'll be using Windows, but I'd like to have a working copy of it running my desktop just in case.  I've heard Microsoft likes to do phone interviews using some Windows products.

I'm not very fond of Vista, but if someone gives me an adequate reason to stick with it, I will.  I'm looking at XP or Windows7.  The fact that the Win7 beta runs out in August doesn't matter to me.  I'll likely redo Windows after summer starts anyway.

2) Which Linux distribution should I use? 

I used Ubuntu last year, and really liked it.  However, it seems that 8.04 is way less stable than 7.10 was.  I'm leaning towards just going with Feisty again, but if any of you have had great experiences with other distributions, I'd love to hear your recommendations.  I'm also considering Fedora.

I don't really want to experiment with unfamiliar territory at this point.  I'd love to give the BSD family and other flavors of non-Windows OSes a try, but I just don't want to deal with it at this point.  Any free time I have will probably not be spent tinkering with OSes, hehe.

[iago]

1) XP. Duh. ;)

2) Have you considered Debian? It's a lot like Ubuntu (same package manager, common history), but it's a little less dumbed down and targeted more towards computer savvy people. I know a lot of people who like Debian a lot.

[Warrior]

Be a man, go with 7.

[Towelie]

Go with 7 and give us feedback. For one thing you will be using it "just in case" so I don't think it matters too much, and if you don't like it you can just stick with it for a few months and then change it (or just go back to xp that day). You've had experience with xp, try out 7 :)

[Sidoh]

OK, iago's argument isn't very convincing.  Warrior's is extremely compelling, but he's such a badass that I won't take it into consideration.  I think you make a good point, though, Towelie.  I guess it probably won't hurt me much to go with 7.  I'll start the download.

That's a great suggestion, iago.  I'll probably download that too. :)

[Warrior]

Yes, my badass-ness is a gift and a curse.

[iago]

OK, iago's argument isn't very convincing.

wtf, I thought mine was the best of them are.

Let me try another...

Windows XP. Come onnnnnnn!

[Sidoh]

OK, iago's argument isn't very convincing.

wtf, I thought mine was the best of them are.

Let me try another...

Windows XP. Come onnnnnnn!

Perhaps another "Come onnnnn" would have convinced me, but I guess you just don't care enough!  I'm still considering it... idk.

Debian sounds pretty good, though.  Any other suggestions from anyone?

[Warrior]

If you don't use Windows 7, you'll live life wondering "What if".

Seriously, ew at the thought of Windows XP. I have not used that since like .. 2005.

[Sidoh]

If you don't use Windows 7, you'll live life wondering "What if".

Seriously, ew at the thought of Windows XP. I have not used that since like .. 2005.

Haha, I've liked Vista much less than XP, honestly.

[warz]

If you don't use Windows 7, you'll live life wondering "What if".

Seriously, ew at the thought of Windows XP. I have not used that since like .. 2005.

Haha, I've liked Vista much less than XP, honestly.

Win7 is cool. I just had to get rid of IE8 and I was set. IE8 is such a horrible browser.

[Warrior]

If you don't use Windows 7, you'll live life wondering "What if".

Seriously, ew at the thought of Windows XP. I have not used that since like .. 2005.

Haha, I've liked Vista much less than XP, honestly.

I don't see why, sure it's pretty loud by default, but that's trivial to turn off.
After the first few months of Vista RTM, everything was ironed out, and it became a much better OS than XP in a lot of areas.

I can't see myself going back from Windows 7 though, the Taskbar is too good for me.

[Sidoh]

I've been using Vista for the last several months.  Pretty much since last summer.  I like XP more, lol.  UAC isn't the only thing that bugs me.  How much of a resource hog it is probably concerns me the most.

[Sidoh]

I'm a bit unfamiliar with Debian.  Why does it have 14GB worth of installation DVDs/CDs?  Are all of them necessary?

[Warrior]

I've been using Vista for the last several months.  Pretty much since last summer.  I like XP more, lol.  UAC isn't the only thing that bugs me.  How much of a resource hog it is probably concerns me the most.

Do you actually feel a slowdown, or are you just going off of numbers you see in the Task Manager? For me I notice no significant slowdown over XP, and Vista actually outperforms XP by a considerable number once it starts scaling with higher end hardware.