Windows 7 - But, aside from looks and new features, is it better?

In basic reliability (stability and [snort] simplicity) how much (if any) better is Windows 7 than XP?
Years ago I concluded XP was the sweet spot between Linux complexity and Mac oversimplification [OS simpler yes, but only because many tasks banned]. I still think so, but XP is just too unstable [something is always! breaking] and is a sour joke of complexity ["contact your IT administrator" -yeah right!] and explained. XP features either don't work consistently, are a pain to use, and/or are really badly explained.
There's a joke: "A helicopter is a collection of parts flying in loose formation." XP too. It cost me $200? up front, but since then thousands of dollars of my time wasted on maintenance and fixing its numerous self-made disasters. I'm tired of eating my money. The only alternative to slashing my computer use [groan] seems to be Windows 7.
But the previews i've seen obsess on features, are silent on the essentials of usability and reliability.
So i'm asking you to step back, consider if Windows 7 really better at all.
Please, if you don't mind: tell me in percentage terms [i.e. 60%].

Skeleton walks into a bar, orders a beer and a mop.
Why are computers like the old testament God? Lots of rules and very unforgiving.

If you've had such problems with XP, why haven't you used Vista?

Not sure why you stayed with XP if it was such a problem. There were other alternatives out there in the wild you could of used. Not an Apple fan, however, it seems that OS X, or a more up-to-date linux would have been better for you. Win 7 is a large step forward for Microsoft, and far easier to use then XP. Win 7 is Microsoft's new Win 95; something that a great deal of Windows users have been waiting for.

win 7 is loads better than xp in terms of security and stability from where i am typing.

usability is something that grows with experience - if you come to 7 straight from xp, it will take you a while to find your way around the control panel etc, and the file system has changed somewhat. i've heard some people say that vista or 7 is crap because they can't find things, or they don't know how to do x,y or z; but i don't pay much attention to those folks.

once you've learned the new ways of doing things, i doubt many people would want to go back to the old!

i occasionally have to deal with xp, even 9x machines, and i'm glad when i get back to my lovely 7!

All your reasoning are on the mark "Mickey". Cannot ever see myself going backwards to any other Windows OS. Now having said that, I do have VM Ware's workstation on my computer with XP, and 2000 just in case. In case of what I don't no.

I've been trying out a bunch of the windows 7 builds. Overall, it's more stable and substantially faster than vista (especially when dealing with network tools and files).
It's marginally faster than XP, but not massively so. The driver support is WAY better on modern hardware though - no F6 and a floppy disc/hand-built ISO to install on sata for a start...

There's been a couple of bugs, mainly drivers; my media centre pc is a bit unreliable coming back from sleep, but it's substantially more reliable than vista. Compared to XP when it first came out? Way more reliable. Compared to XP fully patched on SP3 with mature drivers? Hmm, close.

So windows 7 - what vista *should* have been. It's pretty much at the reliability of current XP (which I've found very solid the last couple of years), which some boxes more, some less. A bit faster than XP, with a bunch more features and much prettier. DirectX 10 too, of course. Much, much nicer when you have to support a lot of PCs.

Most of my PCs were xp/vista/linux boxes. Now they're XP/7 boxes, and I spend well over 90% of my time in 7. I doubt I'll ever install vista again on a PC I own, unless it's on the path to a 7 upgrade...

because he was Mojaved

Hi and welcome to sevenforums

Is it better than XP, yes and no. Lightyears better than vista, quicker than xp, and most of all its reliable. On a day to day basis I deal with ppl who have problems with win 7 but in large part once you own win 7 and make it the way you want it, its bulletproof. I have not had a BSOD, had to recover from a backup, or had many problems.

Yeah I have had driver issues, and a few problems but win 7 is still beta. I almost gave up on MS because of vista but Im in the fold again.

Hope this hlps

Ken

See i don't see this lightyears better than vista crap. My vista x64 is solid as hell and it is faster at the minute since windows 7. Have you all tried vista with sp2 on? It really is snappy, it's well supported now, it's quite secure.

It definately pisses all over XP. Seriously, if you hate it you should take another look.

You obviously have a truck load of RAM if you run Vista x64, I'm just wondering if it is XP x64 you are comparing with or the x86 version which won't be utilizing all the RAM?

I personally couldn't think of a bigger waste of time than to look at vista again, I mean why bother?