Sucking up to Stallman, I see, using that term so Stallman will grant him interviews. Given what's in a standard distro, we really need to call it Sun/Mozilla/.../Gnu/Linux if we follow Stallman's logic.
By contrast, the Vista menu remains resolutely down in the bottom left corner
You can move it in XP, you can't move it in Vista?
By default, it lists nine recently used programs. If you want more
If you want more, you can just increase the number of programs it shows. I've found that it's better to use Spotlight on a Mac for programs I don't use often. Command-shift, "dis" gives me the rarely-used disk utility, enter and I'm running. Better than having it take up valuable front-row space. Vista has the equivalent. But Fedora is doing well if they didn't copy personalized menus.
Vista also features a side panel for applets, which was likely borrowed from GNU/Linux desktops
Ah, the hubris. "Desk Accessories" really started on the original Mac, had a modern incarnation in Konfabulator, then was released for Windows, copied for Linux, then copied/brought back by Apple as Dashboard. IMHO, Microsoft copied Apple, as is their habit.
Nor can the side panel be installed at the top or bottom of the screen, the way that GNOME's general purpose panels can.
Here Gnome makes the mistake of copying Microsoft again. Why dock them anywhere, taking up space? Just have them all fly in full-size with a keystroke or middle mouse button click.
Vista's desktop seems a step backwards from early Windows desktops, and many of its innovations seem either timid or else made for their own sake rather than to empower users.
No disagreement there.
The only drawback to Fedora's offerings is that some programs that are not released under a free software license, such as software to use a LightScribe drive, have to be hunted down and installed separately.
There's the BIG problem.
Vista does users no service by declaring that their system is unsafe if automatic updating is turned off.
Not quite true in the context. It pesters you if it's turned off, but you can set it so that updates will not install automatically and still remove the pestering. At least in XP -- haven't tried that in Vista. Anyone care to contribute/correct?
Windows Marketplace seems to offer some discounts, but the fact that only proprietary software is available makes it less desirable than Fedora's
That is absolutely false. Open source software, such as Firefox, is available at the Windows Marketplace. And "less desirable"? Microsoft doesn't exclude an entire category of software on philosophical grounds, thus giving a wider variety of possible quality software to choose from.
I have to stop here. It's obvious the guy hasn't seriously used both platforms and their services, nor done his research, in order to be able to write a fully-informed article.
But I would like to leave the Gnome guys with some advice: Quit trying to copy usability from Microsoft. It's like copying off the dumb kid during a test. Don't take a Microsoft concept that is faulty in its basic conception and do it better. Instead, do it right.
LOL, Great tear down on the whole post AR