I’m often asked whether a reader or a friend (or someone who is both!) should buy a new computer with Windows Vista — or buy a new computer and get Windows XP on it. At first, I would have thought this a strange question since Vista is the new system.

But, then I remembered the basic “rule” of Microsoft products — never buy version 1.0.

I’ve been thinking about a new notebook computer to replace my Dell Inspiron 8600, which has a Pentium M 1.7GHz processor and 2GB memory. It could probably do Windows Vista, but not the Aero interface (and I haven’t found anything in Vista that I particularly want in Vista other than the eye candy — and I like fast more than I like cute).

My first thought was to get a small notebook with Windows XP that I could easily carry. That thought has its own problems though. There’s a long-standing rule about notebook computers:
“You can have small, light, cheap, and fast — pick any two.”

Since I use my notebook as my primary computer, that issue becomes much more significant. I need a fast computer for my main machine — and I had been thinking about Vista for it. After all, one of these days, I want to start writing about Vista, too.

I’ve read several articles about Vista problems on notebooks. In particular, these articles were about the effect of the fancy new graphics on the battery life.

I really don’t want to get a new notebook with a faster processor and fancy graphics, only to find that I have even less battery life with Vista than with Windows XP.

I think I’ll wait a while longer before the Vista plunge — and maybe make it on a desktop computer instead of my laptop.

So, which notebook am i considering? One of the Alienware notebooks is at the top of my list.