Microsoft Windows isn't the only operating system for personal computers, or even the best... it's just the best-distributed. Its inconsistent behavior and an interface that changes with every version are the main reasons people find computers difficult to use. Microsoft adds new bells and whistles in each release, and claims that this time they've solved the countless problems in the previous versions... but the hype is never really fulfilled. The upgrade prices serve primarily to keep the cash flowing to Microsoft, to subsidize their efforts to take over other markets. A slew of intrusive "features" in the recent versions benefit Microsoft at the expensive of both your privacy and your freedom. Switching to Vista requires buying new hardware and learning a new system, so instead consider switching to something better. More than 1 in 10 people on the web already have. There's an exciting array of interesting operating systems out there, and the overall quality of them is stronger than ever.

If you can't say "no" to Windows (which is understandable in many cases), you can still say "no more". The simplest alternative to Windows Vista is a previously-installed version of Windows. Windows Vista isn't a simple upgrade; it's a drastically different operating system, which may not even run your existing software, or work properly on fairly new hardware, so installing the Vista "upgrade" is a risk. Even if the package says "for Windows Vista", that's mostly a Microsoft-directed marketing ploy; check the fine print to see if earlier versions of Windows are also supported (at least XP probably is). The bottom line: if you already own Windows 98/2000/XP and it works for you, you don't have to upgrade; you can continue using it without paying Microsoft another dime.