Microsoft Windows Vista is a very nice new operating system, and has several benefits, but also has drawbacks.
Google Earth seems to work slightly faster on a properly configured Vista box, but it is not worth changing Operating System over.
Vista does require a beefier computer, is a costly upgrade, and has some compatibility issues with certain programs.
Firefox does not work well within Vista, but Internet Explorer works very well. The only issue with GPS Insight is that embedded links within Google Earth no longer open in a browser. Specifically, the “create landmark,” “get address,” and “printable view” links can not be opened. Additionally, in DirectX (fast) mode, the path lines are very thin (1 pixel vs. 4) – this is a Video card driver issue and something which will eventually get resolved by the hardware companies.
Google acknowledges that this is a known issue and will be fixed once the security model between Vista’s browser (IE) and Google Earth can be resolved.
Apart from a few minor issues (being asked if you wish to close a window when a report is run, etc.), Vista is a VERY NICE improvement to Windows XP, and if you are a Google Earth “Power User” you will like it. We will have a cut/paste workaround to the missing “create landmark from point” functionality very shortly (days).