Why is Windows so slow?

I run Windows 7 in Boot Camp every day and it easily outperforms OS X on the same exact hardware for most common tasks (browsing files, the web, starting up apps, etc).

The Windows desktop GUI system is more stable than anything else out there (meaning that it's not going to change drastically AND that it's a solid piece of software that just works) and it's as flexible as I need it to be, so that's why I stick with Windows. With virtual machines, WinSCP, Cygwin and other similar utilities, I have all the access to *nix that I need.

> The Windows desktop GUI system is more stable than anything else out there (meaning that it's not going to change drastically AND that it's a solid piece of software that just works)

So you assume that Windows8 metro-mode won't really catch on? Also comparing OSX to Windows over the past 10 years, it's Windows that has changed more drastically, so both future and past evidence to the contrary...

How has Windows changed more drastically than OS X since 2001? To me drastic means that something very basic has changed and/or compatibility has been lost. (Things like resizable windows, full screen apps, broken finder plugin compatibility, changes to expose, addition of mission control, etc.)

I don't assume, know or care to know anything about Windows Metro. It's not replacing the desktop system that I use.