I’ve been using Windows 7 as my primary desktop since Beta 1 (even then it was better than Vista), and I have been very pleased. Aside from a few minor software incompatibilities (which are usually fooled by “Compatibility Mode”), everything works well, though I have fairly current hardware. The shipping version will also include “XP Mode”, which is a virtualized, slimmed down version of XP for those few stubborn programs that still don’t seem to work. I think this is a road MS should have gone down long ago; many of the bloat and problems with Windows stem from MS’s perceived need to make every OS backwards-compatible with every piece of software of the last 10 years. Better to concentrate on maximizing the user experience on the current system, and let a virtual machine handle the legacy stuff. They haven’t accepted my other advice (get rid of activation, offer a multi-computer license option for homes with multiple pcs, introduce a linux-like package manager…)

And there is a simple partition manager if you select the “Custom” install option. You’re right, in an effort to make things easier for the “average user”, things are complicated for the experienced user because advanced options are often hidden. They’re still there, if you can find them. Maybe MS should offer a “Power mode” where all is revealed (perhaps it would be called “Regedit” :))