I'm talking about this:) In many areas, you'll be told a hundred times that this expensive trinket is the best.

And that's not forbidden.

As for RAM, if you don't like Microsoft, learn something else.

Learning is one thing, that's for sure.
But why would I need Vista on the computer I want to buy?

I use Windows XP at home, and it suits me just fine, but that's at home.

Yes, anywhere - XP is the peak of what Microsoft has created in its entire history. I never even considered using Vista - I tinkered with it a couple of times, configured it, and it worked well - it was fast... and I uninstalled it.
But I had to pay for it. And it's still sitting here, an unopened disc - what should I do with it?
Maybe I can use it to reflect sunlight, observe dispersion...

And those who don't know just follow the advertising - that's perfectly normal.
....
By the way, the installed OS is often listed in the specifications of a laptop, and you can't avoid it.

Well, here we go again... No, they're not just following the advertising - they're simply not given the option to not have Vista.
So, "if you don't want it, don't buy it," but what should you buy then?
Here's a real-life example for you - in my previous post, I described how I bought a laptop. I could buy a workstation without any problems; I didn't even have an OS when I bought it - there wasn't even a CD-ROM drive, because I didn't think I needed it:D... and I still don't have one... and it's unlikely I will. And there wasn't a hard drive at first - but there was an OS. I found a decent hard drive that I wanted and installed it.
But what about a laptop? If the laptop I want doesn't exist without Vista, that's almost a fact. That's what I'm talking about.