Is windows vista RTM the final version?

RTM = Ready To Manufacture

Yes and no, Microsoft has already announced a SP1 package to be released. From what I have read on the net from industry experts it seems there will be many hardware incompatibilities meaning they just wont work and the same with software, many of these don't work with vista. If you don't have the bread for new software, hardware/peripherals than I suggest you stick with Xp.

Here are a couple of reviews on Vista from the so many on the net presently.

http://reviews.cnet.com/Windows_Vist...7.html?tag=pop

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/17992/page3/

This is pretty much the usual scare mongering that goes on whenever a new version of Windows is released.
When Vista was officially released last Tuesday, most hardware manufacturers and software houses already had Vista compatibility ready drivers/apps and released drivers for hardware and software updates respectively very soon after Vista was launched.

There are some old applications which are unlikely to be updated to work with Vista. The same applies to some older hardware, which is unlikely to have Vista drivers developed.

Being realistic. You need a CPU at 2.5GHz or faster, at least 1GIG of RAM and a graphics card with at least 128M of RAM before Vista will be comfortable.

No scare mongering, in my case when I ran Microsofts compatibility software It told me that My Acrobat Adobe 5 would not run, as well as several other software I have, that my 3 year old Canon Lide 80 scanner was not supported, that my Laset printer was not supported and a few other things.

Sorry not scare mongering, rather Microsoft standard crap. This is why corporations never follow suit with all of MS new releases.

Best to wait several months after release for debugging with anything put out by Microscrap.

Acrobat has now reached version 8.
At 3 years old, your scanner would also be considered old in PC terms.

I think cost has more to do with them not jumping onto the latest OS/software bandwagon.

Yep ! Ask any IT person the cost of fixing, patching and keeping all of the new unready, unfunctional and buggy OS going. Their budgets are never large enough for that and they will never have enough personnel for it either.

I have gone from MS-Dos 3 to 3.3 all the way up to Dos 6, also Windows 3.0 then 3.1 then Windows 95 then Windows 98, then ME, then 2000, presently XP Media center, so since 1991 seen a lot in Microsoft OS and have learned in the last few years not to get exited when Microsoft releases a OS, best to wait till they get their SP2's out before getting on board as at that point it is debugged and a lot better running.

If you ran an Apple system, your 10 y.o software or printer or scanner or any peripheral you have would still be supported and running well even with their latest OS releases.

Some of them are still using NT or 2000

Cost is also part of it, but also a number of other things. Security, Viruses, Crap support from M$ ………….etc and etc.