Now ask that car salesman whether you can replace the ECU in the car and you will get a very different answer.

A gamer with old hardware? Maybe you should be plugging that controller straight into your XBox :)

They did release an XP R2 for only $80. It's called Windows 8, it has the increased RAM limits you want too.

Does your clever use of the dollar sign indicate the money Microsoft want to save by not having to support an 11 year old operating system after they have already released three newer versions. Or perhaps the money they would like to reinvest in research and development but can't because they have to keep supporting a decade old legacy? I think after 11 years, people have had a good run. After all, what was an XP licence? $200? What do you still own that you bought for $200 in 2001 and which is still maintained by the vendor?

Seeing how often the Linux driver APIs change, what gives you any confidence that vendors would bother to upgrade those either? In 5-15 years time you'll find yourself with a PC that contains hardware whose drivers got dropped from the kernel tree years ago.

Automagic appears in early BSD kernel source, it's not some flashy new-found marketing term, although maybe the bastards have tried to pinch it! :)

Judging by the screenshots on their website, it looks unrefined and downright ugly compared to a modern desktop.

WP8 runs ALL WP7 applications, so how is that like WP7 never happened?

You don't have save or invest - why not pay off your mortgage or car loan early instead?

The system requirements state Vista or Windows 7 - You can't even install the countdown gadget if you've got XP - you've got to upgrade to trace the slow (but highly CPU, RAM and Disc space efficient) countdown of your peers!

I think they rely on VLC to supply the dvd decryption library, presumably so they don't have to include anti-DRM goodness in their own package.

I totally agree and would add to it the fact that US sockets seem to get so loose over time that plugs will simply fall out and have to be balanced in the socket. Very common problem in hotels and apartment buildings. Also, I am used to seeing sparks flash and arc when inserting & removing things from the wall. Not at all comforting when the device at the other end is a laptop.

IMHO the only thing the US system has got is the nice small size of the plug itself.

I don't understand Apple's argument that this would replace core iPhone functionality. It doesn't replace it, it simply provides another way of making calls. The user won't be confused - after all, it was them who installed Google Voice in the first place. Both Skype and the actual "Phone" app both offer me a phone keypad to make calls with and I am not confused in the slightest about the meaning of both. It's like BT not allowing a landline customer to own a mobile phone because having two handsets might confuse...

I'd go for Windows 7 myself, it is so much better than Vista and not so neolithic as XP.