We're a couple of generations beyond QEMM and its brethren. It's a new year/decade/century/millennium ...
Doesn't necessarily mean any later version of Windows necessarily reworked any particular element of the OS from the ground up. Or that in some cases, the reworking was sufficient, or done without lengthy suits for plagiarism (that Microsoft lost). But your point is taken. A long enough time has past to retire that particular hobbyhorse.
Well, you've all pretty much convinced me of going to Win7 when the time comes, and we move our current rig into a second place. Thanks for all the nuanced, calm advice. 
