Interesting comments.
Windows Barebones would be a lifesaver to me. I'm a simi-geek not because I want to be but because I'm forced to be (and because I have the time to be).
I can prune my OS. Makes me one of the minority. And that's something everyone here probably needs to think hard about. Most guys commenting here here really are part of that minority, it shows in your comments.
The average joe can not, will not and won't ever be able to effectively tame windows for max use. And it would scare the hell out of him to try.
He might be a cop, a soldier, a doctor, a fireman or a skydiver. He might daily go into situations that would send most of us screaming. But taming Windows is something he'll never do. So, he'll eventually be forced to buy a much more expensive computer to run bells and whistles he'll never use. And before anyone makes a snide comment about it being his responsiblity to learn, consider how much time you have to spend learning how to tame Windows.
I dunno bout you, but I'd rather have my local doctor or cop or fireman focused on his job not on trying to be a simi geek he really doesn't have the time to be.