when it comes to platform, I totally agree. Otherwise I would have one.

But when it comes to apps........ well, different people, different needs. And different habits. But generally, IMO, theres much more useful things in WP store than in harbor. Not that I care, but there is whatsup, viber, skype (for that I do care a bit) and bunch of other stuff with closed APIs. There's more than one proper navigation.
Sometimes I'm stuck somewhere and I would like to kill time with games, again, not much in harbor but plenty over there.
So, yes, I think that there's better selection.

Again, matter of habit & taste.

I have no intrest nor need for the "sozial-media" apps.
As for games, Jolla store has Heebo and that is all I need

was dead long ago before that guy announced it.

Windows Phone is dead, long live Windows 10 Mobile.

This says it all.
As per the Surface Phone, it was known that the Lumia branding would end once Microsoft integrated all the Nokia's acquisition within their way of doing things and the Lumia 950 and 950XL were among the latest phones on the branding, latest remnants of the Nokia era, something in between Nokia and Microsoft.
What many call a beta hardware, beta devices, not ready for the mass either in hardware or in software.

Whilst that may be true (Win 10 Mobile is new to the scene and a full replacement for Windows Phone OS, and these are the first MS phones after a long time), it is also clear that now Microsoft is at the dawn of a new era.
Both company-wise (a much nicer post-Ballmer MS is in front of us) and software wise (Windows OS with its 10th incarnation, is a very good contender in the OS market and runs on a wide variety of devices, which neither Android or iOS can do [don't forget that Android on a Tablet runs, but that's it, there are very few apps who take full advantage of the big screen and Android doesn't go on laptops or desktops and that Apple has two different OSes, iOS and Mac OS X) we can see a much stronger base on which there's much they can do and I am sure they will.

Having a strong OS that can run on such a diversity of devices with developers having to write the app only once (with 'responsive' UIs) and with the possibility of finally have a true integration , I am positive and looking forwards to what else they'll pull out of it that neither Apple or Google right know can do.

Let's not forget, also, that Microsoft is the only company out of those three, who, not only owns now a very nice and stable ecosystem, but keeps developing A LOT on competing platforms.
They don't see them as competing indeed, which is something that both Apple and Google, instead, do.

All of these points, make Microsoft a very dangerous company (for them) and I am sure neither Apple or Google believe a single word of what is written in that article.

I do not have windows phone, but I suspect that with bigger market share (than Jolla), more device manufacturers and more marketing money, you also get more 3rd party developers to provide applications for yopur platform. So no doubt windows phone has more of the "essential" applications supported (facebook, whatsup, skype, ..) than Sailfish.

If Jolla phone would have had 2% market share, I believe Jolla would not have had the latest financial crises and Sailfish might also have more native 3rd party applications, especially from the "big names" like Facebook.

If the Intex phone comes out and succeeds to sel enough so that Intex keeps cranking up more Sailfish OS phones, the situation might get better. Especially if more manufacturers come up with Sailfish phones.

But is it any good? Am I in control or just a passenger on for a ride...?

Yes, thought so.

In control of the OS?
Yeah, like Sailfish right?
Thought so...

Exactly, like SFOS.

Just for what Microsoft did to Nokia, I could never use one of their phones again.

That's partly true. But it's Nokia's directors themselves who hired Elop and adapting Windows, they are not confident with their own product. It's Nokia's choice that made them disappear.