It's funny....I do a lot of research before buying almost any product because I want to ensure that I'm getting my money's worth and that it'll perform as advertised.
That's always a good thing.
Except computers. For some reason, I expect computer and software sellers to sell me a product that's ready to go off the shelf. I think maybe the reason I don't do prior research on computers before buying is that I'm not that knowledgeable about their operation and don't wanna take the time to learn.
This is a very common scenario that I encounter all the time. Many people that I encounter in the line of duty claim that they don't know enough about computer to be able to make an informed decision. That's not a valid excuse.
Staying with the analogy of buying a car: When you purchase a new car, you'll want to know beforehand what kind of mileage you can get, what kind of warranty and service plan is included, availability of parts, etc. But are you a qualified auto mechanic that knows how a car works, or are you just a "normal" driver that doesn't know the inner workings of an automobile?
Why should purchasing a computer be any different?. If we can learn to use everything else (DVD Players, Hi-Hi Stereos, TVs, Dishwashers, Microwave Ovens, etc), then what's so critically different with a PC or a Mac? It's just another electronic device
I agonized a bit over the decision to buy a Vista computer since I knew it was a new OS and there were bound to be bugs. (and sure as heck, there was). I came very close to buying a new one with the XP system since I was familiar with its operation and knew most of the bugs had been eliminated. But I figured what the hell, XP is probably being phased out and Microsoft will no longer issue software and driver updates so I might as well go with their new system.
There will always be bugs in an OS, whether it's new or not. I'll probably get crucified for saying this, but even the latest Mac OS X Leopard or Linux distro can/will/does have bugs that will make it as unusable for some people, just as bugs do exist in Vista that make it unusable for some people.
How many you encounter, and how they affect the use of the machine, depends heavily on how much information you have prior to making the choice. This is why knowing what you buy and who you buy it from is so important.
While I agree with your assesment that the hardware/software vendors do have a responsibility to provide products that work, isn't it also up to you, as the user, to make sure that you know what you're buying?
Let's for arguments sake say that Vista is as buggy as some people say it is (which it isn't). Isn't it reasonable enough then to say that if more people "knew computers" a little better, even just a little more than usual, it would not be far harder to release such a buggy OS?
:D
