"The OS Wars - An Un-Biased review by a slightly above average computer user!"
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Over the last two weeks or so I have been spreading myself across multiple operating systems trying to find one that does what I want and performs reasonably well while doing it. My test machine is an IBM ThinkPad R52 equipped with:

1.60Ghz Intel Pentium M processor512MB DDR2 PC4200 Ram40Gb hard driveCD-RW/DVDIntel 915GM Integrated 64mb (shared) graphics (that oddly enough supports Aero)External 21" Sony Trinitron (Dell) MonitorExternal 14-in-1 USB2.0 Card ReaderLexmark Z605 Color Ink-Jet PrinterVisioneer OneTouch 8600 Scanner (Connected via USB)Creative Webcam NotebookExternal 120GB Maxtor Hard Drive (internal drive in an external enclosure)External Wireless Logitech Cordless Click! MouseExternal Water Proof (Washable) Flexible USB Keyboard (got tired of sticky keys)During this testing phase I have tried the following Operating Systems:

Windows XP Pro SP2 (What was originally on this laptop and is currently being used)Ubuntu 5.03 and 6.06 (Breezy Badger and Dapper Drake - Gotta love those code names)PCLinuxOS 0.93a (technically still in alpha)Windows Vista Ultimate (The one that will retail for $499 for the full version) Beta 2 & RC1ReactOS 0.3 - Windows XP Like CloneBelow I will break down my experiences, pros and cons I noticed with each.

Ubuntu 5.03 and 6.06 - The Funky Animals as I like to call them

Ubuntu is by far a very stable and overall awesome operating system. I would highly recommend it for any server or workstation environment. The installation of both was easy enough that a novice computer user could pull it off and the system is very stable once installed and configured.

The Pros
Extremely Easy to Install (Especially 6.06)LiveCD (6.06 Only) that lets you boot almost any computer with ease and do just about anything without ever installing an OSSupport for a vast majority of hardware (6.06 even has built in support for almost all Wireless WiFi adapters now - both my internal Intel chipset and several external USB WiFi adapters I tried worked flawlessly (after a reboot cause I didn't know how to install them so I had to reboot and let the system detect them automatically which it did every time)Virtually unlimited repositories of FREE (as in beer) software that requires like 3 clicks to install - everytimeEnourmous community of users that are friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable The Cons
Could not get any of my printers (the Lexmark Z605 or a Lexmark AIO) to work - Lexmark Z605 worked the first time but never againAlmost no scanners are supported - Niether of my scanners Visioneer 8600 and a 5600 would work, nor would the scanner on my Lexmark AIOMy webcam (Creative Webcam Notebook) installed automatically but was not useable by almost all applications that supported webcams or importing (like from a camera/scanner)Overall I really like Ubuntu and have several stacks of their disks (which they will mail you stacks of for FREE (as in better than beer). I should also point out that I knew going in I would suffer these cons, but thought I would try it anyway. Ubuntu has the largest selection of supported hardware of any of the FOSS OS's out there (with exception maybe going to Debian based FOSS OS's like PCLinuxOS). I would recommend anyone looking for a good, fast, stable and clean OS to check the Ubuntu Hardware Compatibility List and see if your hardware/peripherals will work.....if so and you are moderately computer literate this would probably be your best choice.

PCLinuxOS 0.93a (technically still in alpha)

First off let me say that I have used/tried thousands of Alpha's and Beta's over the years and this is not only the best I have ever seen, it beats the hell out of most RTM or FINAL code out there. Furthermore, the alpha is a slight misconception as the OS is based on Debian Stable (i.e.-final) code and uses the latest Debian Linux Kernels.....it is only labeled alpha cause the developers are freaking perfectionists and it truely shows in this OS. Of all the OS's I tried this is by far my Favorite.

Pros
The most stable OS I have ever used and probably the most stable FOSS or Commercial software in existence (or at least I think so)LiveCD that lets you boot the computer from CD and install to hard drive when you wantThe easiest OS installation I have ever seen.....it literally asked me like 3 things - where to install, whether to erase entire drive or use free space or repartition and which bootloader to use (and where to install it) - I chose the repartitioning which added 1 more question
Extremely Secure, Reliable and multi-tasks like its no ones businessMassive Software Library that contains all FREE (as in better than beer) softwareCustomized version of KDE 3.5 (the default GUI) that is for more visually stunning than XP but not quite OSX or VISTA - yet!Almost completely configurable using GUI applications that are built-inExcellent Software selection built-in that will satisfy the vast majority of computer users right out of the boxAutomatic Updates of all software, operating systems, etc. (with no Activation, Genuine Advantage Checks, etc.) Cons
Slow to recieve new software or updates into repositories - this should almost be listed as a con....the reason is because the developers are perfectionists and nothing makes its way into the repository until it has been recompiled and tested on PCLOS.Slightly buggy Software installations - whether you are using the Synaptics Package Manger or apt-get from the command line I frequently ran into dependency problems where software refused to install because the dependencies could not be located or could not be installed (in which case it refused to tell me why they couldn't be installed).....I should not I installed over 1,000 programs and only about 10-15 did I have this problemRuns slower than Ubuntu but faster than XP/Vista - I was actually suprised that the modified Glass-like theme with transparancies and overlays was still faster than XPBuggy WiFi - it supported every WiFi I threw at it and even installed them automatically without requiring a reboot - but for the life of me (and I spent two days trying) I could not get WEP or WPA encryption to workLexmark Z605 printer worked the first attempt and never again - spent about 4 hours uninstalling, reinstalling, recompiling, debugging, etc....it just wouldn't workCreative Webcam Notebook worked in more applications than in Ubuntu but it still wouldn't work in all of them that it should - never could find a reason all though I didn't spend to much trying as it worked in my Kopete Instant Messenger after a little coaxingThis is my favorite even though it has more cons than Ubuntu because it was pretty, it was stable, it was painlessly easy to install Wine and get Firefox, Flash, Shockwave, Quicktime working (all XP versions) and I even got Internet Explorer 6 to work under wine....With a little coaxing and compiling I even got qemu (a virtual machine like Virtual PC, PearPC, etc.) and kqemu (an accellerator that integrates in the kernel and creates a virtual machine for faster performance) working with WindowsXP Sp2 and all my Windows software working inside of PCLOS.....Could see, use both desktops simultaneously, surf the web in both, etc. It is also possible (although not always easy) to install non-Debian/PCLOS packages from binary sources or rpm's (which I installed at least 10 of both with relative ease once I figured out how). I even successfully re-compiled the default i386 kernel (and integrated the kqemu in at the same time) to a i686 kernel which damn near doubled the speed and performance of both the computer and the qemu virtuallized WindowsXP I was using.

Windows Vista Ultimate Beta 2 & RC1

These are by far the easiest Microsoft OS installations I have ever, ever done! In total I think I was asked like 5 questions (not counting the first one where it asks something about Install or Boot to Hard Drive - or something like that). The installation was considerably faster than XP's even though it installed several GIGS. I should point out that my machine is at the low end of the recommended specifications for running VISTA Ultimate (or any of the versions with AERO). To be fair I am not going to point out the bugs (and there were more than a few) because this definitely still a beta (the Preview - RC1 - or what ever you wanna call it) is also still a Beta and the OS points that out numerous times - literally.

Pros
Extremely easy to installVery appealing eye-candy (AERO)Simplified Everything - and I mean Everything - there are tools and controls out the yenyangBuilt in support for Tablet PC and Media Center hardware - in the same OS - who'd a thunk Microsoft would have done that - NOT ME FOR SURE!!!!Built in support for more hardware than any OS in history (at least on this planet) including something called iSCSI - what ever the heck that isIncreased security - actually borders on too much - at least when your trying to install all your hardware and softwareSupport for performing administrative tasks while logged in as a regular user - it prompts you to provide temporary administrative credentials similarly to linuxImproved (but still buggy) AutoRun/Autoplay functionality that lets you choose multiple options - you can even add your own options nowBuilt in software for: importing/editing/printing photosburning cd/dvd/blueray/hd disks - integrated into explorer with menu on the toolbarnew games, utilities, control panel applets, etc - everything you can think of is configurable now and I do mean everything - I reconfigured so much it would take a book write it all downSupport (I think it may only be temporary) for Windows XP/2000/2003 drivers - at least the ones for my Lexmark Z605 printer (Used the newest XP/2003 driver from their site), Creative Webcam Notebook (used the newest XP driver from their site), the builtin modem (used the newest XP driver from Ibm's site), the TPM (Trusted Platform Module - used the newest driver from IBM's site which says XP/2000 on download page but only has a 2000 driver in it), etc......all worked flawlessly - I suspect this will be turned off when the OS is GOLD CODE as it was XP
Cons
Requires a rather powerful computer - I was testing the largest, most resource hogging version (remember that) - You will need at least a 2GB Pentium M (Athlon XP) or better processor, 1GB Ram (preferably DDR2), 40GB Hard drive and at the least a 64MB (non shared memory) video card that supports AEROEverything (and I do mean everything) is different, it all looks different, works different and acts different.....It is vaguely familiar if you are an experienced windows users and can be down right annoying when your used to quickly and easily doing something in XP and now you have to provide credentials to open a control panel applet, then more credentials when that applet changes something, then more credentials, then more credentials - oh and did I mention that they are all Windows Explorer based now so they all load in a pretty window that is slow as shit and has to refresh every time you click on an option to load a different page (almost like clicking a url and loading a different webpage)It has been dummied to the max - while I realize a lot of it is security related they have made it so that any yoyo can screw with stuff they have no business (or in XP would never even know they could screw with) screwing with - note I was using the Ultimate version a lot of these tools/applets/configurations will not be available in the lower versionsReactOS 0.3

I have to confess right off, I only played with this OS for like an hour....But I was impressed.

Pros
Allows you to run most WindowsXP software - install it and use it just like you would in XP - although some of it runs in WINE and some of it is supported nativelyAllows you to use WindowsXP drivers - for hardware classes that are supportedIs progressing towards being an XP-cloneSupports Multiple Desktops (on single or multiple monitors)The quickest OS install I have ever done - took less than 10 minutes from turning machine on and inserting the CD till I was completely booted to the Desktop (the actual install took less than 5 minutes) Cons
Most definitely still ALPHA softwareDoesn't support very much hardware (limited Networking, no USB)Old Windows 2000 style user interfaceCloned features don't work like you would expectExplorer (the file manager) sucks - it is more like the old Win3.1 file manager than the NT/2000/XP/2003 explorer.exe it is named afterWindows XP Pro SP2

I have been using XP for the better part of 5 years - I was an early Beta tester. With that said, I should also point out that I have only stuck with XP (Microsoft) out of necessity which I will explain after the pros and cons.

Pros
Easy to use/learnRelatively stable (SP2 is anyway)Enourmous amount of free and paid software (both commercial and non-commercial)Largest amount of supported hardware/peripherals of any OS ever (until manufacturers start writing drivers for VISTA which should be soon)Lots of software available to tweak, reconfigure and secure itFor the most part stuff just works Cons
Extemely Insecure and Buggy - while it normally works properly when it doesn't it doesn't in a big way that usually requires wiping the computer and performing a clean installOutdated UI that is rather slow when all Visual Enhancements are enabled - shouldn't be that dang slow after more than 10 years of development and patchesAutomatic Update (while it has undergone drastic improvement with SP2) still sucks, still can only do CRITICAL updates automatically......WTF.......I want Recommended Updates to be automatic and the option to make Driver Updates automaticGenuineAdvantage/ProductActivation is a major pain in the ass even if you own a legal copy of the OS - so much so I permanently removed that crap (using special software) and I only use Third-Party update software (I highly recommend AutoPatcher)The use of Third-Party Antivirus/Spyware/Adware/Firewall software that peforms real-time monitoring and protection seriously slows the system.....and I have tried like 20 different packages and numerous versions of each.....Such as McAfee Internet Suite, Norton Internet Security, F-Prot Security Suite, ZoneAlarm Security Suite Home, and many others......the only one that doesn't drastically (more than 10%) reduce system performance is Norton Internet Security 2005 and even it dropped performance by at least 50% until I got all the updates appliedNow as I stated earlier I still use XP/Microsoft out of necessity......I much rather use Ubuntu or PCLOS but I can't afford to go and buy hardware and peripherals to build a system that works with the OS I want to use......therefore I either don't have a printer, webcam, scanner (didn't even mention my Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT not working properly in any other OS including Vista) or I use XP.......additionally after more than 5 years of reloads, crashes, getting hacked, infected, etc. I can reinstall (from scratch) the OS, all my software (over 50 programs - half of which are to fix/tweak/secure XP) and restore all my data in about 4 hours......Which I did this morning. Of course I cheat like hell, I have my external 120Gb USB 2.0 drive mentioned earlier formatted with 5 different partitions (one for my Desktop - 21.1GB, one for Downloads - 31.4GB, one for My Documents/My Pictures - 21.3 GB and one for Mozilla (Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey and other browsers like Opera) - 31GB. I keep all my desktop shortcuts, etc on the Desktop partition (easy to change this folder using TweakUI Powertoy). I keep all my Downloads (software I have to reinstall everytime) on the Downloads partition - I also have the My Music and My Videos folders remapped her using TweakUI. I keep all My Documents/My Pictures on the Documents partition (easy to change this folder using TweakUI Powertoy). I keep all my browser profiles, plugins, bookmarks, etc. on the Mozilla partition - once the browsers are reinstalled and run for the first time they can be closed and the Profiles.ini files they use can be quickly and easily edited to point to this location. I also have another partition labeled Software that is 8.77GB that I plan on making Bootable and installing a Windows-based Diagnostic and Repair OS like MiniPE. I plan to also customize it once installed so that when I boot to it it uses the other partitions/data on the drive and has my most important software installed in it.....That way if Windows crashes I can boot to it, still surf, send email, access my bookmarks, documents, music, etc until I get Windows repaired or reloaded.

For the record I know how to create an image of XP and save that image on my external drive.....however to image XP after I have all my software installed is like 20GB and takes longer to restore the image than it does for me to reinstall XP, software and perform my tweaks.

Conclusion

If you are:
An Average/Novice computer user I recommend sticking with WindowsXP or upgrading to Vista when it hits retail if you have a new (less than a year old) machine with a good video card (non-shared memory).A Moderate computer user I recommend PCLinuxOS - of course after checking all your hardware/peripherials against the Hardware Compatibility List and ensuring that everything you need is Supported.An Advanced Computer User (that knows how to edit the registery and perform routine tasks using scripts and/or the Command line (Terminal) then you probably don't need my recommendations.......but Ubuntu would be a good choice for you.