No, seriously. When I have the time, I'm "upgrading" from Windows Vista to Windows XP. My keyboard is completely ambiguous.

I stand by my original assertion that the shipping version of this OS is late beta, at best. I realize that other enthusiasts are leaving Windows altogether (and leaping instead to Apple's OS X), but there's not yet enough momentum behind my willingness to do that. I'll leave the installs of Vista 32 and 64 on this PC, but I'll spend most (if not all) of my time back in tried-and-true Windows XP.

I'll give Vista a second chance when the first service pack is released later this year, but until then...

1. My scanner doesn't really work (Hewlett-Packard Laserjet 3052). HP hasn't caught up with support yet, and software updates won't be available until SP1 time-frame. The software works like a charm in XP - amazingly well, as a matter of fact.

2. Windows Movie Maker crashes on a regular basis.

3. My IPFax software doesn't work (the driver will likely never be updated to be Vista-compliant). Never, EVER caused me a problem in XP. I need this software to work, and dual-booting to use this is not an option.

4. I still can't get my Lifecam to work, but wound up purchasing the vastly superior Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision instead (which puts Microsoft's new webcam software AND hardware series to shame).

5. On the same machine (AMD Quad FX), XP trumps Vista in terms of performance. I don't have specific benchmarks on hand, but I can tell you the difference is quite palpable. This is even with most of Vista's eye candy tuned to a dull roar. We'll see if it runs just as quickly when everything's reinstalled there. I only discovered this after rebooting to try my scanner in XP - blazing differences, similar tasks.

6. NVIDIA chipsets and video cards. Need I say more?

7. I simply can't get to my OS X machine from Vista (or mount a WebDAV server).

8. Copernic Desktop Search, a far superior desktop search client to Microsoft's, either doesn't like Vista or Outlook 2007 - not sure which, yet. Either way, I can't run it right now - and the Windows Desktop Search tool is still as lame as ever (sorry, Brandon). I'll miss the new Start Menu, but I think there's similar third-party software that'll keep me happy in the meanwhile.

9. Explorer keeps losing my view settings. THIS IS DRIVING ME UP THE FARKING WALL! Now, I realize that XP suffers from this problem as well, but it's never been this bad. There are so many new options that it's difficult to reset each window's view every time - including column headers, which are now permanently stuck on "Tags" and "Date Taken" (even though I may not be in a folder with objects supportive of these fields). Yes, I realize this problem stretches back centuries - but it seems to have gotten worse, not better.

10. My workaday software still seems to suffer from weird quirks now and again. I really don't have the time or patience to wait for each developer to catch up just so I can go on living my life. All these little annoyances are starting to add up to one major headache. Instead of detailing each one separately (and extending this list exponentially), I'm just wrapping all of 'em together into one point.

If you think I've missed something somewhere, think again.

Sorry, I... I gave Vista a real chance. I just can't use it as my primary OS anymore. It's NOT horrible at its core (by any stretch of the imagination). If all of your hardware and software are fully baked, you're good to go - but that's not the world I live in. I will continue to recommend Windows Vista for some users, mind you. I wish I could take the best parts of Vista and bring them back with me to XP. I'm still more than willing to help Microsoft improve Windows and get the message out to users, but I simply can't sacrifice my own time and productivity without benefits in clear sight. I'm begging Microsoft and all of my hardware and software vendors to make Windows better for me. Until then...

I'm really starting to get pissed off with the distributed lynch mob that's forming around my recent decision to drop VIsta for XP. Now, the saddest part of this is - I'm not pissed off at the people telling me to switch to OS X, I'm really pissed off at the people who are blaming me for Vista's shortcomings. Witness Ed Bott's jabs:

It's vintage agitprop from Chris...
Hey, Ed? How much money did you make from your book, "Windows Vista Inside Out?"

No, seriously - let's talk about full disclosure here. If you honestly believe that I'm the only Windows enthusiast who thinks the way I do, think again. Moreover, since going public with my decision and reasoning, I've received at least THREE separate emails from Windows community leaders who have also decided to work regularly inside XP (in some capacity) rather than stick it out with Vista.

Despite the glitches (and yes, I've had a few), my productivity is up, way up, thanks to Vista and Office 2007. On balance, I prefer Vista over XP. I do, however, have an XP system running in one corner of my office because the drivers and supporting software for my Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner won't be ready until April.
Good for you, Ed. I'm happy you're content with running A SECOND SYSTEM IN ANOTHER AREA OF YOUR OFFICE TO DO WHAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO ON YOUR PRIMARY SYSTEM!!! You've proven my point, Ed - "agitprop" or not. Let's turn our attention now to Dwight's perspective:

If he were to take a moment and look back, chances are he'd find he was jumping through the same hoops 5 years ago, when he was working with the initial release of Windows XP.
Bullsh*t. If XP had acted this way in the beginning, I would have moved back to 2000 in a heartbeat. That didn't happen, however - as I was able to get all of my hardware and software to work well inside of XP. I've already come out and said that I was "forced" to upgrade from Outlook 2000 to Outlook 2007 since Vista didn't support the older version at all, but that hasn't been without its own share of frustrations. You weren't there with me when I made that move, and you're not here with me when I have to make these decisions. What's more, I'm still willing to stick with the Windows brand altogether - much to the dismay of my colleagues.

Chris says he'll be back to Vista when Service Pack 1 releases, a familiar refrain for those who are holding off upgrading. But you'd think that, as long as he's been involved in technology, he'd learn that it just goes with the territory.
Again, you're missing my point - I'm telling you, I simply can't deal with this right now. I need my operating system to do the things I need it to do TODAY - not six months from now. I'm fully willing to concede that my problems are partially tied to hardware choices, but that still doesn't make your argument to "stick it out with Vista" any stronger (in fact, it further serves to support my decision). Don't apologize for anybody but yourself. Adrian takes a similar stance, but redeems himself with a counterpoint:

If you ask me, all Chris is doing by avoiding Vista now is being a weasel to his future self. The problems he's having now are likely to be there 12 months from now, and 24 months from now. There might be less driver and software hassles but different hassles will replace them. Fact.
Weasel? Tell ya what: I'd rather run Vista in a virtual machine on an XP desktop than vice versa. I realize there are always going to be hassles, but when those hassles cause me to pause my own workflow... they become more than hassles, they become obstacles. I have to start thinking around my operating sysetm instead of my operating system doing the thinking for me. If you want a REAL, TANGIBLE fact... I rely less and less on desktop-based software and more and more on Web-based apps. Hey! Watch replaced a thousand media problems in one fell swoop.

Ed, Dwight, Adrian... I respect each one of you, but you're not giving me salient arguments for why I, or anybody else, should stick with Windows Vista if we're running into problems with it on a regular basis. You act as if I'm totally alone here, an exception to the rule... and that's wrong. I did my best not to make knee-jerk, blanket statements like Jason did this morning, although I understand and share his frustration.

Believe me, nobody feels worse about this decision than I do. I'll still be running Vista on my laptop (despite recently having to reinstall the OS after something went awry with a Windows Update procedure), but my primary desktop will soon be XP again. Oh, and let's just pound one more nail into your argument's coffin: French researcher says Vista's user interface suffers from more 'friction' than XP. Booya!