Note that Windows gets a huge benefit from being the effectively monopolistic system that dictates the terms for software and hardware (thanks to huge investmen

Note that Windows gets a huge benefit from being the effectively monopolistic system that dictates the terms for software and hardware (thanks to huge investments, granted. DirectX or the CLR didn't pop out of Zeus's forehead fully-formed). So HW "just works" with Windows because that's what (and most of the time all) it's been tested against. For example, remember that the Linux ACPI coders have resigned themselves to "Windows is the Standard" whenever they have to deal with buggy hardware that doesn't follow the specs. As for software, well, it's actually an amazing technical feat that Wine even exists. Amusingly, people don't have that complaint on OSX. Linux has its share of flaws, but those you cite are unfair.