"...perception is reality: if users see file copying as slower, it is slower. Despite all the algorithmic improvements, in spite of the superior file copy benchmark results, Vista's file copy performance is worse than Windows XP."<p>Amen. "Real" optimization is useless if it doesn't optimize the practical uses of the system. After all, computers are <i>tools</i>. Objective optimization doesn't make them better tools, since it doesn't make them any more effective when they're being used by people. Perceived optimization, on the other hand, allows people to better use their computer.<p>As the maxim goes: "Use better tools." It's no accident that it's not "Use better algorithms."