I used Vista the other day in a computer lab. The graphics were nice. The "Are you absolutely SURE you want to do this?" boxes were not cool. If it's to prevent user stupidity, they're still going to click yes to download the warez and crapware. Vista did take a little while to start up, after logging in. This was in Vista Ultimate. Having to use VirtualBox to open WinXP to get to MS Office 2003 was not cool.
And Mac users are totally clear of elitism? Then again a Mac isn't a computer. I forgot it's actually a cutural MOVEMENT. My Mac is so great, it can do everything! I can record TV on my Mac! I can use it to play MP3s through my TV! It even gives me a custom audio greeting when I turn it on! If it ever fails me, Steve Jobs will personally hand deliver me a new one! Of course, it's a Mac, so it never fails! I just have to get a new one..oh wait, they never become obsolete, either! But if you're using a modern OS, why would you be using a program from six years ago? Let me use the newest Mac OS with Internet Explorer for Mac. Not only doesn't it make sense, but it opens up a whole can of compatibility issues. It's like a 2009 BMW with an 8-track player. Eventually, when you get the new stuff, you have to let the old stuff fade out.
Turn User Account Control on or off I've been using Vista Ultimate since late 2006 - I'm an MSDN subscriber, and installed it soon after the volume license was available. I haven't had any problems with it. Yeah, the different versions are kind of stupid, but the OS is pretty solid. I will upgrade to Windows 7 when it ships. I just downloaded the beta last week, but haven't had time to install it yet. Maybe this weekend, if I can do a dual boot.
I can understand the reasons for different versions. Sell a "basic" one that has the advanced features and graphics turned off, but give a way to download that stuff for a fee. (Or else, everyone would buy this and turn on the fancy stuff for free.) Sell an advanced on that comes with the fancy stuff. Sell "upgrade" and "full" versions of both. It seems that MS has done more than that. And I knew there was a way to turn that UAC off, but I didn't bother doing it, since the only thing we did in Vista was open up VirtualBox.