Yeah I'll label all you guys dense for the moment. I don't like the structure that they did the upgrades and everything but I'm not going to complain. People keep complaining that Microsoft doesn't upgrade Windows often enough. Then when the do people complain about them requiring an upgrade.
All you OS X users I am very very surprised that you are complaining. Raise your hand if you are running 10.0. No one... Why not? It's the XP equivalent. Oh wait... Apple REQUIRES you to upgrade to get all the new features... In fact lots of software REQUIRES you to be at what about 10.3-10.4. So you have to pay for those upgrades. In fact simple updates that would be given for free to an XP user, Samba fixes I'm looking at you, in OSX you have to pay for an upgrade.
Now do you know why directX 10 is for Vista only really? It's because its part of the interface. Microsoft has finally moved the graphics processing of the GUI away from the CPU and to the graphics card. SO there are going to be some requirements for that . It has tones of potential. Especially building interfaces. I've seen them demonstrate this to there partners. I've been to different events about it. If you haven't used it don't be so harsh about it. I've used it. I like a lot of the features it bring to the table. The LPU stuff is done the same in OS X and Linux world. They got a little trigger happy in Vista about it but that will be tempered in time. The administration stuff from what I can tell is better. I know that a complete Vista system uses better encryption for communication. Plus there are lots of little things that I like more. I definitely don't agree with all the Gui decisions but the better back-end is worth it among other things.
Don't knock what you haven't tried because its hip. Over OS has its place. Plus don't believe for a second that those prices are what people even loosely affiliated with MS will pay. They'll be much much cheaper.
(Also I hate to tell you this but 2k's support cycle was suppose to end with ME's did.)
PS- Where up to what OS 10.4 So if you upgraded each time there was an upgrade and lets say that it was $129 like it is
today. Then you be paying 4x$129 which is $516. If you mention deals those exist in Windows land to.
Also methinking I read somewhere that in the newer Apple computers there is a hardware piece that is for DRM purposes.