Windows 7 is finally released. Although it has been available to some businesses for about two months now, today is the official retail release.
I've been using Windows 7 for about 5 months now. And I've been using the final version, the one you can purcahse today, for about 2 months. It is very stable. Only the oldest hardware will have problems. The only modern hardware I've seen that does not work well with Windows 7 is any HD DVD drive, even if it is a Blu-Ray/HD DVD drive. Beyond that, expect Windows 7 to work well. This is because Windows 7 is basically Windows Vista optimized. Windows Vista was drastically different than Windows XP, so many hardware makers dragged their feet on support assuming (incorrectly) that the drivers would just work. Not so anymore. Furthermore, computers are no longer being sold that are too weak for the version of Windows installed like they were with Windows Vista.
Which version should you get? Most people should just get Home Premium. Companies or individuals that need Windows XP support should get Professional or Ultimate. Certain modern CPU's support a feature called virtualization, this allows two operating systems to run at the same time. Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate include a virtual Windows XP.
Windows 7 is perhaps the best consumer version of Windows ever and is one of the best operating systems ever made. Very few people will have problems, although it is inevitable that some will considering how complex an OS really is. If you can afford the upgrade, I recommend you do. It isn't a giant step forward like Vista, but it is a giant improvement over Vista.