Just wanted to mention a few facts:
Windows = Operation System.
Operation Systems like to be called Plattforms.
How much is a plattform worth when it is already full?
Even microsoft accepted that vista wasn't the best thing, why else should they hurry so much with the next windows? (Vista, the new ME? not quite, but almost)
Anyways, things could've been damn much better, almost nothing in vista has been done that couldn't be done in windows xp, effects, changes whatever, it all could've just been a few programs and some changes in the files and that's it, vista is just a simple money machine to cut off some gold from modding xp (look at it, deeply, you'll see, it really is nothing more than a 'bit' deeper modification of xp)
Putting this things away, why are those effects that vista uses running faster on linux, even with much more amazing effects, even though it's the same machine?
This just takes me to the next point, hey, they gave a crap about optimization.
WOW, and that also explains why it takes up such a hell load of RAM, PROCESSING POWER, and the HARDDRIVE.
And don't think I didn't try Vista, I used it on my main computer for a few months, before and after Sp1 was out, and even in the betas.
Also on a secondary pc, and as a next point, I was literally a fanboy before it came out, why? Cause the features they didn't build in are kick ass, they even wanted to build in a native linux kernel to run linux applications etc. ON A WINDOWS SYSTEM! they gave that up, nice.
what could've saved the day? Ah, the new filesystem they planned, a filesystem using SQL, that would've been really nice, nah, forgotten, bye bye amazing new filesystem, maybe until the next windows.
Next step, let's look at modern games, the ones that have DirectX9 and 10, making advertising for Vistas DX10.
Crysis, well, it took a few weeks, and there was a patch to unlock the DX10 graphics on DX9 WinXp, ...... and almost no difference in the speed compared to a vista install with DX10, weird huh?
Working effectivity, let's make some brown townyzements, objective.
Give some people Vista and XP, let them get into the system, what happens? After a short time almost all of the eye candy of Vista is gone, turned off.
3d effects etc. not used at all, ineffective, avoided cause of slowdowns.
Security features, gone, they are just too annoying. (why not make the system a bit more secure itself, no, just block anything out, like stuffing a keyhole to prevent the key, man, don't put in the keyhole to begin with if you don't want everyone to use it.
(Compare Internet Explorer to Firefox, security wise, or feature wise etc. have fun, you'll see an issue here).
Want me to talk on? I can, but my father called, I'm drinking coffee now, coffee has priority :P