While I lean toward the Mac side of the house for my computer needs, I'll admit that OS X lacks a bit in the handling of photographs.  Mind you - iPhoto is great, as is Aperture - from what I hear - but they are add-on software items.  I'm referring to the accessibility of photos from the operating system, or file browser level.  Maybe this hangup is a hold over from my long past Windows days, who knows.  At this point, I'm comfortable with my digital workflow - something I'll be talking about in more detail in the coming days - and file-browser level access (or rather, the lack thereof) isn't an issue for me.  But I still think Windows got something right with the way they make photos so accessible in Explorer.

It looks like Vista - when it finally drops... - will be built to really step the handling of digital photos up a level.  From the filing, to the labelling and organization, to the options available to working with those photos.  The whole package looks pretty well thought out.  Browse through the pages on Microsoft (linked below) for details on the processes and capabilities to look forward to.  Try not to get too excited though, because the way it's been going, Vista seems like it may be perpetually pushed-back...