Guess from what I've been reading on slashdot -- and not from we readers -- I'm not going to be slashdotting anymore. To stick the word "staggering" in the headline belies a belief in truth and becomes propaganda. Too bad, you used to be good slashdot, but you became corporate media.

You obviously are unaware of the different Verizon DSL access on the two coasts. I think, on the East Coast and most of the country Verizon uses PPoE which requires a login/password. On the West Coast (at least here in Oregon) Verizon uses straight DHCP which does not require a password or login name. It's no wonder that the lay person is so confused about computers -- no matter what the O/S -- bad advice from well-meaning people. Always check your facts; what is true for you may not be true for everybody.

My first, and only question is: If I replace XP/SP3 on my machine with Windows 7 nee Vista will my hardware and applications perform any better? The only improvement I've ever seen in a usoft upgrade was SP3 for XP which did have a small performance increase under certain conditions.

Actually, I would want it to test in a virtual machine to see if it's worth upgrading/buying it to replace my XP and or Vista boxes. I would never use it illegally. Than again, given a choice I would never us Vista legally either.