I'm not sure about that advice about Windows XP Pro. I've never yet found anything the Home version can't do that the Pro version could do that I actually want to do. And my impression is that there are some things it likes to do that I wouldn't want.

I think there's a tendency sometimes among people who give advice to go for the top of the range state of the art stuff, when it ain't necessarily what ordinary mortals want. That happens not just in computers, but also in all kinds of other fields where people get enthusiastic - cars, musical instruments.