(FORTUNE Magazine) – If it weren't for the Justice Department's antitrust division, Microsoft Windows 98 would have been a footnote in the history of the company we love to hate. But the wheels of justice are grinding. As a result, the latest update of the operating system that runs most of our desktop computers may well be the most litigated bug fix in history.

The litigation has nothing to do with whether this version of Windows is any better than the last. Microsoft got into trouble with the feds by building its Internet Explorer software right into the new operating system; the Justice Department and Gates' rivals say the Evil Empire is trying to squeeze competitors out of the Web browser market, etc. The real question is, Should you run out and buy it before some judge says you can't have it?

Put it this way: Walk, don't run. In fact, unless you know what to look for, you could install Windows 98 and never see the difference. It fixes some of the things that are wrong with Windows 95, adds support for new gadgets such as TV tuners (yawn), and integrates Web browsing into the operating system itself. Microsoft will tell you that your PC and the Net are now one seamless organism, with Web integration that allows you to view and work on your own files and folders as though they were Web pages. But for the millions of users with Windows 95 and Internet Explorer 4 on their PCs, this is old news. Frankly, I think the whole thing is a dumb idea. In terms of conveying information, the Web was designed for the lowest common denominator. The Windows 95 interface is much better, and thankfully, Windows 98 lets you keep things the way they were.

The new system does have a few advantages, even if they are largely invisible to the average user. It does make your computer run faster and more reliably. It also makes it easier to keep your system healthy, and if it does crash, easier to fix. But then many of the changes simply repair the 3,000 bugs that plague Windows 95. For that we have to pay $90?

I've been running Windows 98 for a few weeks now, and I'm glad to have it. If you're feeling adventurous, buy it--it won't do any harm. Janet Reno's opinion notwithstanding.

--Michael J. Himowitz