Stand by for the word from the original refusenik...

Windows XP was and still is beautiful. It's simple and it works. The worst part of the XP's taskbar was the window grouping which doesn't allow to immediately switch to another application.

Even now virtual desktops and simple taskbars in practice are much better than continuous expose-style previews. And the fact that design is 'ugly' should not stop it from being useful.

And expose-style desktop switching also quickly gets old. Personally, I know what my desktops contain and do not need to even consciously think about switching - it happens automatically. For new users - sure, expose-style switching is great, but Compiz does it fine.