It’s been a while since we’ve had a thread on operating systems, and what better time to have one than on the day that Amazon begins pushing pre-orders for the latest version of Microsoft Windows? They’re pushing hard, as they usually do, to get people committed to buying the new release sight unseen:

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone who has recently shown an interest in software or computers at Amazon.com, you might be interested to know that you can get Microsoft Windows 7 delivered to your home the day it comes out, October 22. Simply select Release-Date Delivery at checkout–click here for full details.

To learn more about the exciting features of Microsoft’s newest operating system, be sure to visit our Windows 7 Resource Center and catch up on the latest buzz in our exclusive Windows 7 blog.

It comes in three flavors: Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. Prices range from $119 to $299 depending on the upgrade version, but experienced users already know that the real cost comes after the purchase. When software upgrades lock up, existing peripherals no longer get supported, and data gets lost, that’s when users pay through the nose.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There are few experiences I enjoy more than an operating system upgrade, perhaps only eclipsed by a Barack Obama speech on prime time, or a slow root canal with not quite enough Novocaine to cover the job. But the thrill of that adventure need not happen immediately; one can wait for the early-adopter crowd to leap forward into the darkness first, and leave enough breadcrumbs for the rest of us to try later.

Think of it in terms of Indiana Jones films, at least before that refrigerator scene. How many times did Indy walk through traps with skeletons already scattered all over the place? Indy may have been adventurous, but I don’t think he would have been an early adopter on operating systems, I tell you. Or, for that matter, let’s not forget that Captain Kirk would send a couple of redshirts to die before figuring out that the latest planet was indeed dangerous.

The wild card in this is Windows Vista. This is an operating system so unpopular that Microsoft had to fake people into thinking it was a new operating system in order to get people to say nice things about it for their commercials (remember “Mojave”?). Windows XP users petitioned Microsoft to keep them from killing XP support and won another year of life, thanks to widespread consumer dissatisfaction. Vista could be driving a big push to get the new 7 in its various forms, which may be why the upgrades are ranked third, 29th, and 12th in Amazon software sales at the moment, respectively.

Are you one of those champing at the bit to either take the Windows 7 adventure or to get as far away from Vista, and as fast as possible? Or are you willing to sacrifice your fellow computer users first, like redshirts on Star Trek? Take the poll and join the comments:

Update: Windows XP will be supported through 2014, apparently. And who are those 10% who want to stick with Vista?