If my post has caused one person to give Moore the benefit of the doubt, I'm gratified.
Reportedly there was a lot of doubt regarding the life of the movie series after Connery left...conventional wisdom back in the day seemed to be that it would go the way of Connery and the 60s. The generally poor reception of Lazenby and OHMSS only supported that view. Moore's run not only kept the franchise going, but very successfully; it proved beyond a doubt that the series could be a success under different lead actors; it allowed for a new generation of Bond fans to come aboard during his run, including myself; and when he was ready to pass the torch, those of us who'd been wanting a different approach to the character got Dalton, Brosnan, and Craig. In the long run, Moore's stewardship did a lot of good for the franchise.
And FWIW, though Dalton is my traditional personal favorite Bond, and OHMSS is my personal favorite movie...taking a more objective view, I consider the "best" Bond film, as a whole package, to be The Spy Who Loved Me. YMMV.