I’m impressed with Windows 7. After running the beta for months it is everything Windows should be.

Sure there are niggles – but that would be true of any alternative.

I was so impressed I decided to buy the operating system. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Dick Smith lists the Windows 7 Ultimate and Professional upgrades at $499 each.

The price is ridiculous. The same Dick Smith has notebook computers with Windows installed starting at $899. That’s notebook not netbook.

OK. I understand the $899 notebook might not ship with Windows 7 Professional. That’s not the point.

For just $400 more than the cost of a software upgrade I can have a new computer. The cheapest netbook on sale in New Zealand is $425 – just $25 more than the upgrade to Windows Professional.

At Digital Shop I can buy a desktop for just $487.64 with Windows 7 Professional installed.

That’s right. In effect I can pay just $87.64 for a new computer.

So here are my choices:

Buy a new PC with Windows 7 Professional. Throw my existing, perfectly serviceable machine into a landfill. Have a better computer experience but stop sleeping at night because I’m destroying the planet. Revert to Vista or XP. This costs nothing – but will give me a more annoying computer experience than at present. Look once again at Linux.

What would you do?

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