Hmmmmm............................

Here are 5 of the operating systems that i have used from best to worst IMHO

1.Windows 98SE
2.Windows XP Pro
3.Windows 3.1
4.Windows ME
5.X-tree
6.DOS
7.Windows Vista
8.Linux
9.Windows NT
10. Whatever the operating system on a mac is called....

Bartender! might I have a pint of whatever that gentleman has been drinking?I see 10 in that list

Windows ME is better than Linux, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) and Apple's Macintosh O/S? OMG! I have never heard even the most dyed in the wool, partisan, Windows fanboi even suggest such a thing It is the "unfinished symphony" of Microsoft operating systems if you just look at the timeline? (The Apple O/S is called "Mackintosh" after the small red Canadian eating apple)

Microsoft already had decided to unify their operating system with Windows XP but they knew that they had to progress with NT 5.0 (2000) as their business customers are not early adopters, unlike private new computer buyers who are given no choice. The upgrade from NT 4.0 SP6a would be acceptable, whilst the new O/S would not until it had been proven.

They were thus developing XP and 2000 at the same time, but already had an investment in Windows ME, which they decided to monetize for the millenium Now, I personally think that was a pretty disgusting and cynical marketing stroke, but that's what they did. Makes me kinda embarassed to admit that I am a Microsoft "business partner" until I remember an old Jewish gentleman once telling me that the definition of business partners was: "two thieves with their hands so deep in eachother's pockets that they cannot independently plunder a third"

I discovered that the solution was to give it 384~512MB of RAM and that overcame its memory leak problem. If you gave it more than 512MB it again became unstable, just like 95, 98 and 98SE

I do not think that DOS or Windows 3.1 belong in the list as the former does not have a GUI and the latter is DOS with a fancy GUI riding on top.

Comparisons with Linux and Mackintosh are also invalid as there are many variants and you would need to be as familiar with them as with Windows for it not to be you, rather than the OS.

Vista I had great problems with, even on a rig with over twice the minimum recommended specs in all departments. After about a year of messing around with various hardware combinations I got it running just fine on a single core Sempron 2.8GHz with 4B of DDR2 800MHz..................the original machine ran the Windows 7 betas just fine ???

So, my ratings are:

1. Windows 7
2. Windows XP
3. Windows 2000
4. Windows 98SE
5. Windows NT 4.0
6. Windows Vista
7. Windows ME

Obviously, I am talking about end user satisfaction/experience rather than any technical or security consideration.