Hmmmm,

Windows Vista (Version is irrelevant) is the WORST operating system Microsoft has ever released.
Have you forgotten Millennium Edition so soon?

But all was well with SP6a. Windows 2000 was a well thought, nicely implemented secure operating system.
Yes I like those two, and for a pure "home environment" 98SE is OK.

XP was nothing more than a shell upgrade that started making things worse
A bit more, because they were trying to merge their business and home OS offerings, and I suspect that was partly responsible for some of the initial problems (eye candy and bells & whistles for the home users). MS have always had a tendency to get things to market before they are really ready?

Or Office workers, or web based email users...
I know quite a few of those and it seems perfectly adequate to me. Most office applications are no more than a database, input forms and some update and reporting proggies. I still know quite a few people who still use Office 97 quite happily.

What I have noticed is that shop bought OEM boxes seem to under perform compared to ones you build yourself?