Microsoft Vista: Should You Buy Now?

After five years in development, Microsoft's new operating system is finally about to hit the street. Is it a keeper? Fortune's Peter Lewis takes it for a test drive.

(Fortune Magazine) -- What does Windows Vista have in common with the just-christened nuclear aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush? Answer: They are both powerful flagships of technology that took five years and billions of dollars to build.

Also, while they'll both be in use for years to come, they're almost certainly the last of their respective kinds. The world now moves at Internet speed, and slow, complex behemoths - whether warships or software - are being forced to become smaller, faster and more maneuverable.

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