It is both. Which is also a strength and a weakness. Windows is a compromise OS designed to work pretty much seamlessly with what must be a trillion different combinations of hardware, software, firmware, driver versions and do it with little or no action from the user. Mostly MS locks things down to prevent users from accidentally borking their system. As you know, there are many not too onerous methods to get around almost all of it, to strip the OS down bare. So mostly I fail see the reasoning behind so much dislike for the OS. I touch my keyboard, the system is fully operational in about 5 seconds and I can do anything from playing COD 1, to scanning a document without leaving my easy chair... (granted I would have to put the document in the scanner).