"Vista may also make it harder to do some casual copying, such as recording Internet audio. "

i don't get the beef. if you stream content on the internet, who says we can't copy it for our personal use? look i have a better idea, why not simply divy up some of the user fees to broadband providers back to the sources that produce them. assume that 5% of your comcast bill, either they donate it or just tack it on, goes into a pool that the riaa / mpaa could then divide up as they see fit.
the more the user community feels that they are losing control, the more likely vista will not sell to meet expectations. as you say, windows xp is fairly robust. the issues regarding internet security, according to it buds, is that by integrating everything there is no break/dam to stop malicious code - why is why they love firefox - is according to them a flaw in their o/s design.
i love to be able to record internet radio shows bcasted from around the world. i'm not tied to my pc while at work to enjoy the availabke content made for me at my convenience. if the authorities want to shut down every offshore piracy outfit, then be my guest. but the more you make me less enjoy my web experience, the greater chance i will do something else.