Yep. When it comes to windows, older=better. Windows 7 is probably the most recent windows I will ever use. XP is best for most purposes. I use XUbuntu (a flavor of Ubuntu linux) on a daily basis.
No, Windows XP sucked ASS. They tried to combine business networking with a home system. DUMB IDEA. Win 3.1 was their first "great one". Next was Win 95/98. Awesome upgrade. Then came Win XP and all it's fucktastic stupid. Then came Win 7, and the breath of fresh air. Every Win OS aside from those SUCKED! XP, Win2000, Win 8, Win 10. Win SE/ME? Remember that one?
Give it a try. If you are new to linux, puppy linux is fun to try. If your computer is beefy enough you can run starlinux very easily.
You said the older the better, then you'd either use 3.11 or 95, not XP. How you'd run either on a modern system is another question.
Why does it suck so much? Maybe it's the user? I have no major problems after turning off most of the crappy features initially.