So how much truth is in this article?

I'm pretty clueless about the technical aspects of computers, but I did just buy a laptop with Vista, so naturally I'm curious about the veracity of this article.

http://badvista.fsf.org/what-s-wrong-with-microsoft-windows-vista

 

They decide which programs you can and can't use on your computer

Not really...

They decide which features of your computer or software you can use at any given moment

Um...no, though it might allow them to detect pirate software and stop it at best. Stopping software you purchased is quite probably illegal.

They force you to install new programs even when you don't want to (and, of course, pay for the privilege)

I cannot think of a single valid example here...

They restrict your access to certain programs and even to your own data files

No...it allows YOU to restrict access to programs and files so other people that aren't supposed to be snooping around don't get to your stuff. It also is decent parental control...but that's it.

If your copy of Vista came with the purchase of a new computer, that copy of Vista may only be legally used on that machine, forever.

It has always been that way...even since before XP.

If you bought Vista in a retail store and installed it on a machine you already owned, you have to completely delete it on that machine before you can install it on another machine.

That IS the definition of a one use license...and just about every software program out there is like that.

You give Microsoft the right, through programs like Windows Defender, to delete programs from your system that it decides are spyware.

Which is why I don't use MS security software...but I've never seen anything like that in Vista yet.

You consent to being spied upon by Microsoft, through the “Windows Genuine Advantage” system. This system tries to identify instances of copying that Microsoft thinks are illegitimate. Unfortunately, a recent study indicated that this system has already screwed up in over 500,000 cases.

Again, it's an anti-piracy thing. I hate false positives, but I'm sure that MS got 500,000 angry calls when that happened. 500k for the millions upon millions of computers out there really isn't bad...

Did that study indicate how many people were able to call MS and fix the issue? No...

All in all, it's just another inaccurate rant about Vista.

 

I concur, however they do point out one thing thats wrong with Vista- it's DRM infected!

 

That article isn't really about Vista vs XP. It's more objections against DRM and software licenses in general. They just singled out Vista because Vista is newsier.

 

Meh, everyone bashed MS just because they can...