"It needs four times as much RAM as XP to run (eight to twelve times of GNU/Linux)"
-> The minimum RAM recommendations are 384MB for Ubuntu 7.10, 128MB for Knoppix 5.1.1, 128MB for Linspire, 256MB for SUSE, 512MB for Mac OS X 10.5, 128MB for XP, and 512MB for Vista. The 4x comparison of XP to Vista is valid, but how do you figure the 8x to 12x compared to Linux distros?
"It never stops nagging"
-> You can disable UAC if you find it annoying. Your choice here.
"Unless you are really lucky, you have to replace all your peripherals"
-> Quite an overstatement, but it is a major problem.
"You have to pay three times the cost of XP"
-> XP Home retailed for $199 while Vista Home Premium, the equivalent of XP Media Center, retails for $239. Hard as I try I can't see how that's 3 times as much.
"Unless you pay for an upgrade of your software, or bought it within the last three months, it won't work in Vista"
-> The vast majority of my software from when XP launched back in 2001 still works, although some must be run (successfully) in Compatibility Mode. Also, by stating it must have been purchased in the past three months you're claiming that there was not a single program that would run on Vista from the day it launched this past January through August. That's quite a shocking claim to anyone who used Vista prior to September.
"Backwards compatibility with the files of your friends using XP is pretty much non-existent"
-> The filing system remains the same, and the operating system does not inherently deal with file types. Perhaps you are thinking of Microsoft Office 2007, which debuted a new OOXML format? (You can still save to the older format if you like, and free readers for the new format are available.) This is NOT a Vista-related problem.
"It has already had more than 100 updates from Microsoft to seal all the holes in it"
I count 60 updates pushed out to Windows Vista users, including ones designed to add new functionality. Perhaps that 100 also includes updates pushed out through Windows Update for other software you have installed? And how many did Mac OS X 10.5, less than 2 months old, have at last count? (Hint: Over 20) And how many unpatched security flaws does Ubuntu 7.10, also 2 months old, have? (Hint: Over 27) Multiple that out over a year and see which OS has more security woes.
"Aero is just eyecandy, not a true feature"
-> True, but it's desired by many who thought Microsoft had fallen far behind.
"You are still vulnerable to viruses, spyware, adware and other malware (Macs and GNU/Linux don't have this problem)"
-> Malware is indeed a much greater threat to Windows users, but others are not immune either. How about all of those nice little remote execution vulnerabilities, though? Seems those plague all operating systems to date.
"You have given up the rights to your computer. Microsoft owns it. You just rent it."
-> You purchase a license to the software. Does Microsoft do that? Yes. Apple? Yep, them too, and they specify you must install it on Apple hardware. And even Ubuntu, Knoppix, and the others insist you agree to their terms, even though the software is free. And not a one will declare you the owner of the software, just a licensee.
"You still have to search around for software and updates for software and drivers."
-> Most come through Windows Update. I wish it was that simple under most Linux distros!
"BSODs (Blue Screen Of Death) is still there, they just changed the background colour."
-> Sorry, no color change. They're still blue. Check your facts.
"You still won't get any real help if you choose to pay an outrageous price for support from Microsoft"
-> Support is mixed, but it is free for the first 90 days.
"Vista phones home, just like XP, just better hidden"
-> Yes it does, though they didn't exactly try to hide it.
"When you update software, the entire system has to be rebooted"
-> Not always, and look at SP1's hot-patching feature.
"It still fragments your harddrive"
-> All have fragmentation issues. Windows is usually the worst, though.
"The registry can still be clogged by software that doesn't uninstall properly"
-> Define "clogged." The registry has so little of an impact on performance under the later versions of Windows it's unnoticeable even to a stopwatch. And isn't it the software uninstaller's responsibility to, you know, uninstall the software properly? Why blame another company's mistakes on Windows?
"Should you choose to upgrade your hardware with more than one extra, you will have to call Microsoft and prove, through a lengthy process, that you have bought Vista to get a new license-key"
-> Only partially true. 1.) It takes multiple hardware changes to force a reactivation prompt unless you're talking about the motherboard. 2.) That "proof" usually involves saying "Hi, my name is John, here's my product key, I'm calling because I replaced my motherboard, and I've only installed it on one computer." Takes approximately 5 minutes and your word is generally all the proof that's needed. 3.) They don't give you a new product key...you still retain your current one.
"WGA can render your perfectly legal version of Vista useless at any time"
-> Yes, that is a problem. However, if you're following the SP1 news you know that "kill switch" is being removed.
"Programs still just hangs for no reason whatsoever, often resulting in having to do a reboot"
-> Again, usually the fault of the program's author. Blame the faulty party.
"A program that crashes, lose all information since last save"
-> Again, that's up to the author of the program how crashes are handled. That goes for all operating systems, not just Windows.
"A program that crashes wants to send a report to Microsoft, claiming it will help them improve, but you can still have the same crash over and over for years"
-> Yes, Microsoft tries to identify problems and find solutions. But if it's a problem on the program author's side of the fence there's little they can do.
Some of your points are valid, but most of the 'faults' you listed were one of more of the following:
1.) Note entirely accurate.
2.) Problems of other operating systems as well, not just Windows.
3.) Caused by mistakes made by third-party developers, not Microsoft/Windows.
4.) Going to be fixed by SP1.
Looks like Vista isn't nearly as bad as you think.
John