Windows Vista: The Game

What are the functions you expect from your operating system?

Let me list the bare minimum:
-Allows management and access to hard disk drives (and other storage devices)
-Manages hardware so that it works
-Allows me to run programs

Added to this are optional stuff like security, networking and an efficient user interface. It is also helpful if the system is responsive (fast) and looks nice.

Based on that, I rather use (and I _did_ for a long time) a rock-solid, text only system than a fancy "crash or not to crash when I touch it" 3d graphical OS.

It constantly surprises me how efficient a text system can be, if you know the key combinations.

Which brings us to Microsoft Vista - it puts the "ow" in "wow". The desktop looks spectacular, I will grant it that, but it fails miserably on most other accounts.

Let us, for the sake of argument, put functions of the Os into two categories: "bare-minimum" and "extras". Common sense dictates that a decent Os would need to fulfill the "bare-minimum" functions flawlessly and a great OS would need to fulfill "bare-minimum" functions flawlessly and the "extras" quite well.

So. let us distribute the functions:
1-storage of files -> BM ( bare - minimum)
2-hardware and drivers -> BM
3-running programs -> BM
4-secure networking -> nowadays BM
5-quick and efficient user interface -> E (extras)
6-nice looking -> E

Here are the flaunted features, straight from the Microsoft's site, and which category they tall into:
Accessibility - (5)
Ease of access - (5)
Quick access to common tools - (5)
Recommendations to settings - (5)
Explore settings by category - (5)
Magnifier - (5)
Narrator - (5)
On-screen keyboard - (5)
Speech Recognition - (5)
Mouse keys. sticky keys, filter keys - (5)
Aero - (6)
Flip 3d - (5)
Internet explorer 7 - (4)
Sidebar and gadgets - (5)
Backups center - (1)
Parental controls - (5)
Drive encryption - (1)
Media center - (5)
Find files quickly - (1)
Windows defender - (4)

Distribution:
1: 3 (15%)
2: 0 (0%)
3: 0 (0%)
4: 2 (10%)
5: 14 (70%)
6: 1 (5%)

Please note that these are only the features that Microsoft thought they were worth mentioning. Supposedly the reliability, performance, hardware support and similar were left out simply because they are se self-evident that they needn't be mentioned at all. Though I doubt it.

Which leaves us with a very unpleasant conclusion. It appears that the extra features were more focused upon than the absolutely necessary "bare-minimum" features that every OS needs.

I can confirm from personal experience that this is, indeed, true. But if you fail to believe me, please type into Google: " Windows vista problem" and read through the distressingly long list of results. There are already about 25% more hits than a similar query for windows XP, which is the closest comparison to Vista. All this despite the difference in OS age. Note the new Service Pack 1, which contains over 500 various fixes and patches (the published list has 500 entres, at least - who knows how many fixes weren't mentioned there).

In conclusion:
I feel like the latest from Microsoft is an attempt to sell a game as it's Premium Operating System. The features on the site give me "desperate" feel, as it they were searching hard to find good things to say about Vista. Or, as if their intended audience are people with disabilities. It is similar to the way people deliberately neglect to mention the bad engine of the used car and focus instead on the way the seat lining is perfectly preserved.

Thanks, but I need an OS that works, not a $200 (USA) or $700 (Europe) game.

PS: Excuse the possible typos, since Iam using the Tablet PC pen input and it gets odd ideas about my handwriting.