> 1. You Don’t Try Before You Buy
Fairly valid point. But to their credit, Microsoft does offer free betas. And I’d argue that those who don’t care about betas (or know they exist [most Windows users]) really don’t care about “try before you buy” OSs.

> 2. Installation of Software is Too Easy
Synaptic is nice. However, the default repositories do not have everything, maybe only 50% of what’s needed. Another 40% has to be obtained through adding repositories manually, which isn’t very user-friendly. Not to mention, most normal users (i.e. those who’d like to try Ubuntu in place of Windows) don’t know/care what a “repository” really is. The last 10%, a user has to search for it, untar it, solve dependencies, and possibly even compile it. Solving dependencies on Windows hardly ever happens, and Windows programs never have to be compiled.
As for ease-of-use, Synaptic wins over Windows installers, but not by much. The whole Next->Next->Agree->Next->Next->Next->Finish thing isn’t as annoying as people lead it to be, but since Synaptic gets rid of that, it has a slight upper hand. However, it is much easier to get things configured during Windows installation than it is to dig around .config files. So the Next->Next is a necessary evil in some cases.
Lastly, with Vista, the user isn’t forced into IE for Windows Updates, so that’s a moot point. And I’d argue that Windows Update is just as easy (if not easier) than Synaptic’s update (for system updates, not individual software updates).

> 3. Too Few Viruses/Too much security
Legit point #1.

> 4. No Expensive Office Suites
Another moot point. OO.o is just as available on Windows as it is on Ubuntu. Also, there’s Google Docs for the online user.

> 5. Optional Purchase Option
The whole “genuine” thing is merely for Microsoft’s security, not the users’; they have a product to sell and they want to deter theft, there’s nothing wrong with their intent. Also, the activation process is not bad, in fact, it’s automatic.
As for personal information, I’ve never, not once, given any personal information to Microsoft, so I have no idea what point is being made here.
Also, I’ve never been forced to upgrade my system. I have the choice of Windows 3.1 as well as Windows 7. If an OS doesn’t offer anything special, there’s no reason to upgrade – this goes for purchased and free OSs, alike.

> 6. Too many Free Applications to Choose From
First, the service at retail chains has nothing to do with Windows or Ubuntu. The entire retail chain can be avoided anyway since nearly all (if not all) software is available for download directly from the manufacturer.
All four of the software packages you specifically mentioned are freely available for Windows. There are also plenty of free alternatives for most Windows programs; coincidentally, most of them are also developed by the *nix community (I, personally, find that slightly amusing).

> 7. Too Well Documented
Windows is just as documented. And I would not say that Ubuntu is significantly better or worsely documented. True, there is more documentation out there for *nix, but that’s because *nix systems are not as out-of-the-box-ready as Windows (they’re close, but not yet).

> 8. Excellent Free No Wait Technical Support
What you call “Technical Support” for Windows is not the same as what you’re calling “Technical Support” for Ubuntu. True, Microsoft tech support is outsourced to some remote part of India; it should be avoided. However, you shouldn’t compare that to the IRC, blogs, and forums you call tech support for Ubuntu. To be fair, there are just as many blogs and forums for Windows problems as there are for Ubuntu problems. A Google search is just as easy for either OS (easier for Windows, I’ve always found).

> 9. Too many Interface Choices
Legit point #2.

> 10. [b]Too Much Eye Candy[/b]
Legit point #3. However, I’d argue that Vista Aero is closer to perfect than Compiz-Fusion (although neither are very close at all). From personal experience, I’ve never had an issue with Aero, although I’ve had multiple non-trivial problems with C-F.

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I’ve never read your blog before, and I’ll probably never read it again (other than to check for replies to this message). I honestly hope that you meant to bring up these weak points not only in jest to Windows, but also in jest to the *nix evangelist. If you are seriously attempting to promote *nix, please stop, there are MUCH better resources than your blog.
I say all of this as an avid *nix user and supporter, so I’m not being biased. It just really bugs me when these weak, unsupported, overly-used, underly-understood “points” are brought up.

-IHBT?