The point is that with Apple, I don't have to worry about themes. It's already set up for me and the experience largely revolves around it.

The main reason is because it's tied to _one_ hardware manufacturer which makes it kinda useless really especially when that manufacturer doesn't like to give you a whole lot of choice.

What aren't you given a choice about? It's possible to replace the camera, the keyboard, the mouse, and pretty much any part of the system that you don't want. You can replace any program that you don't like, too. Though it goes without saying that I like Apple's restrictive hardware, because it means that things work without fiddling.

Also, here's something interesting too about your favorite OS. There are no less than 20 Application Launchers (replacements for Spotlight). It seems that the dock isn't such a great replacement for the Start menu / task bar combo. See here:

A lot of them were created before Leopard, in which Spotlight was sped up immensely. I haven't needed anything beyond Spotlight since 10.5, which was when I began using a Mac as my main computer. The only exception to that is Quicksilver, which is more of a function fiddler than it is an app launcher.

Besides the fact that it's fucking impossible to find anything in the Dock if you have hundreds of programs installed, you can't easily see what's running since the only indicator is a very small blue dot.

That's why you don't put every app you have on the dock. It's a storage place for apps that you use often. I actually don't keep any programs on the dock: I only use it to show currently running apps. And the blue dot is pretty high contrast even when the dock is tiny.

This is why you simply can't use it to switch programs and I bet you don't. You probably use Expose. Well, I don't know about you, but when I'm mousing around a lot it takes me a second to switch back into keyboard mode, especially if the keyboard shortcut is something stupid like F10, F11 or F12. On Windows all I do is click on the taskbar item for the program I want. It's much, much quicker.

No, because using the mouse for something like app switching is slow and pointless. I use CMD-tab, followed by CMD-` to select the window. It's much, much quicker. And it's faster than alt-tab on Windows, especially when I have a ton of windows open, because selecting the app rather than the window means I can get immediately to what I want. If I've got 15 Quicktime windows open and 1 Safari window open, I can tab over quickly. I also have Exposé turned on to the bottom corner of my window, so it takes a single flick to reveal all my windows. That's another really nice built-in Mac feature: corner commands.

The dock is simply a marketing gimmick.

Hardly. The dock is the center of Apple's user experience, as I said. It's been that way since it came out with the first version of OS X. It's a storage spot, a navigation tool, and a launcher. Stacks in particular is a well-loved addition.

Also, if Vista continually tells you to restart, you're doing it wrong. I have a Vista box in my living room which has an uptime of about 3 months now since the last reboot.

Every time it installs an update, it constantly prompts a restart. That's a pain in the ass.

And there is nothing better than Vista Media Center, it kills Front Row in so many ways.

The last time you provoked an argument, I asked you what makes this the case. You never responded to me. So, tell me now?

Though I recall last time your telling me you weren't going to have this argument any more. Why not let's drop this lengthy argument before we begin? The conversations I've had with you have not been pleasant.