My view of Vista is that its a cheap Mac OSX rip-off with no new features of any real worth.
According to a Forbes article, I’m being way too nice.
While the author seems a bit more angry than I would expect, Microsoft does seem to consider rearranging common locations, renaming programs, and altering icons between versions a “feature.”
My favorite part of the article is when the author discovers Vista’s WordPad can no long open Word documents. Obviously this is a security feature meant to protect users from the multiple unpatched vulnerabilities that have plagued Microsoft Word for months.
Unofficial patches have sprung up here, here, here, and here. 
Everyone says that Vista is a Mac OSX rip off, but I’ve never seen a list of things that Vista has ripped off (besides the 3d flip thing that I’ve never used). Just because it uses good UI elements that exist in Mac, doesn’t make it a rip off. Apple lost that battle a long time ago when they tried to claim that any windowed UI was a rip off. No one said that Apple was ripping anyone off when they started using two mouse buttons.
Here’s one list:
http://lifehacker.com/software/top/windows-vista-beta-a-lot-like-mac-os-x-179909.php
Life Hacker didn’t mention the underlying UI technology (using a 3D compositing window manager) is stolen from Mac as well. I think even open source versions of that beat the Vista betas… could be wrong on that one though…
I’m sure with 30 seconds of googling you can find plenty more. And in case you’re wondering, the “Recycle Bin” in Windows 95 was a complete rip-off of Mac’s Trash Can.
I’m pretty sure that Apple wasn’t the first company to make widgets. I think Konfabulator was around before dashboard. Those other things are pretty minor aspects of the OS and are only questionably influenced by Apple. I mean, does Apple own a patent on calendars now?
And as you pointed out, Linux desktops have been doing this stuff as well. At what point does a UI element stop being a rip off and start being common practice?
And yes, the Recycle Bin was a rip off of the Trash Can’s functionality, but as I recall, Apple didn’t have anything like the Windows Taskbar until some OS X. And why did they borrow it? Because it was a smart UI element. No one faulted them for it.
“I think Konfabulator was around before dashboard.”
Which was an OSX only product first (and for a long time). So although its not an Apple rip-off, its definitely borrowed from OSX-land.
“Those other things are pretty minor aspects of the OS and are only questionably influenced by Apple.”
Vista is a collection of pretty minor enhancements to XP, plus a graphics pipeline overhaul (which is stolen from OSX). So yeah, I’d say its a pretty direct influence. If you can convince Life Hacker and Forbes otherwise, than I’ll believe you.
“Apple didn’t have anything like the Windows Taskbar until some OS X.”
Mac’s still don’t have a task bar. That panel thingy at the bottom is a launcher and task list in one. And don’t even try to say its a rip-off of Windows Quick Launch!
“At what point does a UI element stop being a rip off and start being common practice?”
The difference is 100% in attitude. Read interviews with Bill Gates. He constantly talks about Microsoft’s innovations and how unique they are and how they blow away OSX and how they aren’t stolen from OSX.
Now go read Planet Gnome or any other open source blogs. They clearly and openly discuss their likes and dislikes of competing UIs. They reuse what they like and leave out what they don’t.
Now if they started claiming it as their own innovative new discovery — they’d be ripping it off.
Here’s a really obnoxious guy from the New York Times “agreeing” with you Dan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaIUkwPybtM
Please stop taking my word for it though… tons and tons of other blogs and news sources have covered it in much greater detail than I am. I’m getting sick of doing your research for you.
Crashed two sperate PCs this evening utilizing two seperate copys of Windows Vista. Systems are so down will probably end up reformating drives to reinstall XP. Even though a restore was completed on one of the two PCs prior to the installations.
One PC ended up with a complete BIOS wipe out.
Second PC ended up in a reboot loop and is unable to complete or revert.
HA!
Man, I am reading all of this and thinking that you guys all have your heads up your a**es. See the simple fact is that todays windowing managers owe EVERYTHING to what has occurred in the open source world. Mac OSX for example, is a direct rip off of the open source world right down to its open source UNIX OS. Sure it has the taskbar thingy. Eww! Mac can come up with a usable task bar. Not too impressive. Look, the fact is that without the competition and the borrowing of ideas, there is no moving forward in the computer world, period. I for one love the competition between the big commercial guys. It keeps things interesting. Just wait though. Once the software giants start releasing everything on Linux, it will be all over for windows and since it costs an arm and a leg OSX as well. Open source is the future. Linux is more stable than any other operating system in existence and will only get better as time goes on. As people realize they can get quality operating systems for nothing, the big boys will either have to join or fold. You can’t keep ripping the public off forever. (I hope)