Windows 7 is what Vista should have been, not that I hate Vista. I am working with Vista now, in fact. The thing is, Windows 7 is not as taxing on resources as Vista. That's probably the BIGGEST deal about it compared to Vista. There's also XP mode (if you're running 7 Pro or Ultimate), which supposedly takes away some software compatibility issues as to say you're virtually running XP. So the apps that worked with XP should work in that mode of 7. I'll be reading up on this more, not that it will apply to me. I didn't have old apps that didn't work on Vista, so it wasn't a concern. Of course the interface is different. Visually, it's as nice as Vista. MS added a few gimmicks (none of which I'm a fan of yet), such as Snap (split screening your windows) and Shake (a goofy way to miniimize windows). I think the cooler additions actually came with Vista (integrated search... love it and use it like mad... not even using Run anymore) and Aero Flip (cooler than Alt + Tab). Anyway, I just love seeing hardware that would have been barely cutting it with Vista take on Windows 7. And supposedly it's more stable. I think this is going to be a good one.
By the way, I was NOT a fan of XP. I'd take my computer (which really isn't that much of a beast by today's standards, but is solid) over any top notch home PC running XP anyday.