That's the main problem in my opinion also. When it first came out, none of the budget computers had good enough hardware to handle Vista.
Most people don't even know what RAM is, at least from where I'm at. They think that the only thing that matters is how many songs and movies their computer has, but they don't even know what the name of the thing is that holds them.
Luckily, now, you can get a pretty cheap computer that will, at the very least, be able to handle simple tasks like working in Office or MS Works and reading emails at the same time.
Or you can spend a little more (about $1000, that may seem like a ton for some people but if you really want performance, it's not that much) and get 4 gigs or ram, a good graphics card, a faster hard drive, and a better processor; and be able to run everything perfectly smooth.
I started on Windows 95, then 98 (didn't use them for much besides watching movies though because I was only about 7), and then I switched to XP once it came out (I was in 7th grade), and I LOVED it.
I got a new computer four months ago because I was tired of using my dad's. And I have only had one bad experience with my computer in the four months I've had it (start-up issues); and that's because Dell didn't set up the BIOS or install the drivers correctly. So it's not even Vista's fault.
You do need a much better computer than you used to need, but there are hardly any computers that can't handle, at the very least, simple tasks on Vista now.
Personally I love Vista. I've never had any freeze-ups, and I don't have any file compatibility issues, but most likely I will buy Windows 7 when it comes out, or maybe a couple months later, just because I want to keep up-to-date and it looks cool. I do wish it was cheaper, though, because I only earn about $300 a month right now working minimum wage only a couple days a week.