OT
Windows users have gone through similar (not so little) routines, Vista RTM requires that you install some patches, then SP1, then some more patches, then SP2, etc (the procedure takes hours). I really wish Microsoft would come up with a "catch all updates in one go, apply them and reboot" routine as getting Vista (just as an example) up-to-date can be a real pain. Of course with Vista it is possible simply to install Vista SP2 on a blank disk, but not everyone has access to the latest media to do that (or knows how to do streamlined Windows install discs).
If you ignore how Windows and Microsoft updates work, it's neither Vista nor Microsoft fault. If you knew how they work, you'd also knew that you can:
1) download every update file you need from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/current.aspx2) place all the msu files you need in a directory
3) launch them with a simple line or script from a command prompt like this:
for %%I in (*.msu) do wusa %%I /quiet /norestart
In the end, you can restart the system if you like (that's what you should do anyway, to actually apply the changes).
Edit: ah, I also forgot. You can even integrate services packs and drivers into a older Vista / Windows Server installation disc using a procedure called "slipstream".
/OT
