@scuzzb494
Active Desktop was introduced in 1997. It wasn't terribly popular at the time, and as you know, Microsoft was forced to separate Internet Explorer from the shell after the antitrust lawsuit. The antitrust restrictions were lifted last year. I'd say Microsoft was well ahead of the curve on this one; however, it's difficult to introduce disruptive change when you're enjoined from it.
EDIT: And why so struggly with Windows 7? Under the hood, it's still just Windows NT. I quite like the Windows 7 shell.