Vista vs Win7
Your post wasn't boring at all, but I love your self-deprecating humor!
I had XP for years (XP Pro) and loathed upgrading, because as we all know, the word "upgrade" isn't always defined in the same way as software manufacturers define it. I "upgraded" because I was tired of fighting my computer and its errors, and figured if I had to reinstall Windows, I might as well make it Windows 7. My wife's computer had Vista - and I despised it, but the reviews for 7 were better, and so I made the plunge.
I was amazed that the installation simply moved all the old XP files to a "windows.old" file, so while it was anew installation, it wasn't, strictly speaking, a "fresh" one, and I didn't have to reinstall everything.
The only piece of hardware that didn't work was my old scanner, which I replaced for around $60. Every bit of software worked perfectly. At some point, people have to get out of their worn, comfy shoes, and get with the calendar, so I did (gritting my teeth as I did so, I must admit).
I wish they had simply upgraded XP some and made it XP-SE or something, but 7 is not just a re-worked Vista, in my opinion, and aside from its Vista looks (and it is still slow, but not as slow as Vista is), I'm happy.
About 4 years ago, I predicted Google's OS, and it is now on the horizon, but I was thinking it would be a universal OS; a replacement for Windows. Not. I tried Linux... wanted it it to work.. but couldn't figure out how to install Linux-compatible software, as gone were the convenient ".exe" and setup" files.
that said, I agree with you that as an IT pro, any new "upgrade" as 7 could create lots of expensive downtime and a new learning curve for a bunch of computers at once. I also agree that Microsoft lies through its teeth.... but so do most other manufacturers of software , all of which will "have up up and running in just a few minutes..." to the Tech Support phones,that is. I also love the software that is up and running "in just a few (hundred) clicks."
Thanks to the Internet. solutions abound for software issues, but Windows 7 apparently has so many variants, even posts from supposed Microsoft MVPs are often inaccurate, especially when they mention something that supposed to be in the Control Panel, which simply is not. And we all know that 80% of the "solutions" posted by everyone online are usually incorrect, and/or contain links for "free software to fix it" which in fact is not free, and/or is spyware, or worse.
Anyway, I'm getting OT for this wonderfully helpful site, so I'll log off. I love it that most people here seem to be intelligent, and understand how to spell, respect grammar, and try to communicate very clearly. Thanks, all!