First, you are not talking about operating systems but graphical user interfaces.

But to the point.

My personal opinion is that I love OS X look and simplicity. And I love(d) GNOME 2.x simplicity and pastel look.
But I can not stand neither of them in my computer as I want to do more than copy few files from USB-stick to desktop and use WWW-browser or listen music and watch videos.
(For me, even moving some files with Finder is pain in the ass unless they are right front of me.)

I want to love Metro (or what other name MS will choose for it, hopefully as good as "Metro") as it is what Unix is about, information front of you. Metro is doing something what I dreamed and designed 15 years ago (I even have hundreds of designs stored in closet), but still it is doing it wrong way, by disturbing user, by hiding elements, functions and making simple things too complex (Like easy way to open directory in Finder by simply pressing enter on it when browsing with arrow keys).

So far, only GUI what pleases me on desktop/laptop use is KDE. And especially KDE4 started to do it great.
The customization is the key. Please, just give user a pure and clear GUI and then easy way to _add_ features what they want (contrary to your saying, you want to _remove_ things, I think it should be that people can "opt-in" just by adding features what they need.) and then get the GUI look and work as they need and want, not as one designed in company sees it should work (they can do the very basic usability things, like you can not so easily by mistake delete file or rename directory etc).

But when it comes to tablet, smartphone and even netbook usage, I just love Android 4.0 on them. The style, it is very informative and widgets gives the possibility to have exactly the wanted specific information right under your finger with interactive function (what Live Tiles do not offer at all) and otherwise just the apps with the oldest and purest human understandable way. If you want to nail something, you take hammer and nail and you just hit it where wanted. If you want to cut something, you take saw and you just use it.
The original Unix idea, one tool for one task. It is just so wise and awesome, why even command line interface is so awesome when compared to GUI in many basic cases (like copying files, renaming, moving, archiving, emailing, encrypting etc).

Last few years the trend has been that files need to be queried trough search and automatic filtering systems. Like the computer would know right away what you need and want (I am pointing my finger to you KDE community with activities!). Just give very simple and fast search for files, like Google search web pages (as it is said, it is silly that we can find pages from Internet faster than files from others computer).
I love organized file hierarchic in manner where others can understand easily what is in directories and what file is about by its name.

But when it comes to actually quickly choose and group bunch of files and do something complex to them graphically, there seems not to be better tool than Automator in OS X (unless you count scripting for shell in all Unix systems).

So what Microsoft has done right? They made the GUI touchable with big enough buttons (tiles) what was reason why Windows 7 SUCKED for any tablet computer (I have used 27" touchscreen with Windows 7 and it just was terrible two weeks). And that they got the idea that information should be easy to get presented in wanted form.

BUT.....

Metro SUCKS!

Android is getting again something much better. Chameleon is coming launcher for Android (tablets only?) http://chameleon.teknision.com/ and it is exactly having what I have found most oldery (and young) people to need. To have information at one glance available for them, depending their task, location or time (one awesome app for Android is the Tasker https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm).

Microsoft tried that with Metro, but it does not work well on small screens (smartphones) as you need to scroll long list trough and it doesn't have "pages" like Android launchers can offer. And on bigger displays it is again terrible as everything looks exactly the same.

I am fan of LCARS style what was in Star Trek. As it actually can be used to make logical GUI for people. Just rip off all fancy graphics and use very basic colors (colors specify what type function is) and it is connected to functions directly with lines. And then the actual data is text only (pure text files, are so awesome even today!) and more complex data what can not be presented in text, is audio, 3D model, photos or videos.
That is what I expected from Metro. But again, I can make more like it with KDE and I can do it with Android.

I love Metro at first glance, but I hate almost everything in it, more than with OS X or GNOME (2.x) as more complex I need (have GTalk same time open and web browser, or video call and word or video player...), more complex it comes to user.

So yeah, simple is good, but oversimple is just terrible. So give very sane and simple default, but lots of possibilities to customize everything as how user needs and wants.

Winners are, KDE and Android because customization possibilities.
I would like to install Windows 8 to every computer, but I don't do it because after a 15 min crush feelings, the illusion is lost and moment is gone and all what I could hope is how I get KDE or Android back.

Do you see more politeness in politics or in class rooms where people do know others names etc?

No.....

Android 4.1 and after that will have encrypted application packages signed to your devices. So no change to repackage them or transfer to another device with Titanium Backup etc.

Many does not understand that smartphones are not "phones" anymore. Thats why I would like to call them more as "PDA" what is the "smart" part of them anyways.

Smartphones are the PDA 2.0 and they shouldn't be used by people who mostly just talk and send SMS/MMS.
Smartphones are designed to be used with VoIP, Email, IM and use applications for specific use. Like you have one app for every different task: RSS feed reader, own video clients (voddler), remote controls to webcams and security systems etc etc.

Web browsers are just for searching information (store closing times, contact numbers etc if not in local address book application (usually they are)).

I just hope that smartphone companies would add 5mm more thickness and use it for battery. It would allow them to 2-3x battery size and offer a smartphone what actually can be used 1-2 days almost full day. I have seen two of such phones, one from Motorola (3500mAh battery if I remember correctly) and then Samsung Galaxy S II with 4500mAh extra battery (gave 6mm more thickness) what just gave almost 4-5 normal day use but 2 day very heavy use (almost continuesly doing something 8 hour a day). Those I would call as "real PDA".

[quote]With a Linux it's a different story. An up-to-date Linux offering better hardware support, up-to-date versions of applications, also it's free (no cost) for the user to upgrade.[/quote]

So far Linux has had best hardware support (from legacy to modern ones) so it isn't reason to upgrade if already everything works (same for NT and XNU operating systems). Latest applications is good thing, at least change to do the update as new formats are needed for new features and new formats usually needs new version, so having latest application possible to be installed is huge bonus. Thats why I don't recommend any other than 6 month or rolling release distributions (so all long term supported are out) because you can not usually get latest applications packaged and distributed (at least officially) and when running 2-5 year old system, it comes harder to work with others.

(of course, if you don't need to share files between others and new features, there is no reason to upgrade).

So you are those who say that slavery is freedom....

So the data was from the stupid people who in first place went and ticked that option without knowing what it does!

First you say that customer should by a Mac only because OS X or software available for OS X but not for hardware.
Then you say that customer should just buy a hacintosh and install OS X on it if they want "better hardware".

So actually you say no one should ever buy a Mac because OS X or Apple Hardware.

You don't give any price for Apple hardware than what specs say. You don't actually think that the casing and design would have a worth to be paid more.

Of course you can attach a spoon to fork but it does not mean you want to use it in daily purpose.

Some things can not be changed without changing distribution. Like package naming and decencies for them.
Some packages are compiled with bloat settings or with style that user have harder time to hunt specific version (still needed some cases).

When I toke a tablet, it replaced my smartphone.

I used smartphone a lot for email reading (Gmail), map routing (Google Maps) and some information searching (stores timetables and contacts).
But otherwise now with tablet, I have emails on it and I can actually type longer emails than "I will take care of that" and it is faster and nicer to go trough them. Map routing is awesome with 10" display on car, I don't like voice turn-by-turn as it is not perfect but just seeing 1-2 kilometer forward where is next turn is awesome. And browsing web is much nicer.

Now I have again just a basic phone what I can use to make calls and send those twe or three SMS when needed.

Next tablet is 7" (1280x800 resolution altough, for web pages) what I can carry in jacket pocket.

Go Play? Does DirectX finally work with Windows running on VM?

There are known cases where officials or inteligence services has tapped to cell phones what have been just turn off by button. That is one reason why in Russia in high level meetings you don't just turn phone off, but you need to remove the battery and leave them to another room.

If I remember correctly, there were even slashdot story about it few years ago.

Your cell phone pings at least three cell tower (if just at range) and selects strongest one of them.
And even that your cell phone does not connect to cell, it does not mean cell have not received its signal. Cell phone simply rejects the connection either knowing it can not boost signal so it is too weak or it is just so weak that even max boost it can not hold the stable enough connection to cell.

At country land GPS is more accurate (few meters at starts but even few centimers at longer time when holding at same position, depending how accurate the clock is in device) but even with cell towers (if you just get at least three or two longer time) you can get location few tens of meters or even the estimation of the area where you can be.

GPS is great for the user. As user is the one who gets positioning as well, not just carrier. So user can give that location information to services trough data connection to get more nice features from the phone.
But really, phone without GPS doesn't mean you can not be tracked.

That is one reason why no one at battlefield is allowed to carry a own cellphone because at electronic warfare, such device is bright like a smoke grenade at daylight. Every device emmiting signal can be detected and pinpointed its location.

I don't would you anymore wake under that radiation!

Except that NT is not a kernel but whole operating system.
But you are correct, so little MS supporters knows about techology like that operating system is just a small software operating hardware and all other software. It has best protection of all computer software.
Bootloader does not have any meaning unless you bypass the operating system (like using Live system or boot trough other way).

It is easy to be ignorance and trust Microsoft marketing.