I don't think there is any compelling reason today to upgrade to Vista. I don't think anyone besides MS thinks there is. Most people will move to Vista in one of the following ways:

• The biggie: You buy a new PC and Vista comes on it. End of story. Manufacturers will shortly stop shipping XP systems, if they haven't already.
• You want to buy a cool new WiMax / USB3 / SuperSATA peripheral, but your XP system won't support it. This alone might not make you move, but it will elevate the justification for moving that much more in your mind.
• Your favorite application (Not Poser! Heaven forbid!) discontinues support for Windows XP, or comes out in two versions, one that supports added functionality but runs under Vista and one that is limited but will run under XP. I predict that this will be common with 64-bit apps and that many of them will skip over XP64 support and make the jump directly from 32-bit to Vista-only 64-bit.
• Somebody will come up with some excellent new piece of software that you love but that only runs under Vista. Or maybe you'll start to see dozens of cool, useful shareware/freeware apps that you like but that will only work under Vista.

The net effect of these will be the same - the Vista upgrade will start to seem more worthwhile, more people will start to get it, and eventually it will become the norm. The developers and the system builders are already there. The masses won't be far behind.

Bash MS if you like, but they're in a bit of a pickle. They make the lion's share of their money off Windows & Office. Linux is already nipping at Windows' heels, and smart devices are taking on more of the work that you used to need a desktop for. Services like Google Docs & Spreadsheets are just going to keep getting better, keep eating into their Office cash pile, and MS can only compete by matching their competitor's strategy and price structure, which makes them an also-ran rather than a market leader. They're concentrating their efforts in areas they think will be tough for competitors to match, and trying their best to grab hold of additional revenue streams before the one that sustains them turns from a river into a creek.

• Jimdoria  ~@>@