However I don’t feel that it is such a big issue and that you need much tech-knowledge to acomplish these tasks. People’s reluctance to change is probably the mayor issue here. Any given problem is just a good excuse to avoid change.

As an ubuntu-user now for almost five years I do need to point out as well that the improvements for each new edition are HUGE! For those who don’t understand why adobe products and sun java don’t come with the distribution they should read up on propietary issues.

Vista sent me off the MS-track forever, and I will never look back. I am very happy to be where I am.

Personally, I’ve found businesses require both Ubuntu and Windows platforms to be set up. (I do this kind of thing for a living). On the rare occasion it’s a mix of the two platforms, but generally they will order Windows based PCs or Ubuntu ones, and they need them installed and set up regardless of which OS they request.

It’s too bad reading about your experience. Have you read about my fathers experience? He switched in his 80s, after a lifetime use of Windows, he’s still using Ubuntu and the other day told me he’d never go back. He things it’s great and said after he got used to where the menus and buttons were, that he found it easier to use that Windows. One thing he especially mentioned to me is that he says “…never need to install a driver… they just work…” I truly think different people have different needs and different requirements. If Ubuntu works for him (and others) that’s great! If Windows makes others happy, then that’s great too!

Reading your comments about Flash installation, Compiz, etc. I thought I’d ask my father what he thought. He said it was easy to install Flash. He said it was a simple aptitude command and that all the required packages were checked and installed automatically, that he didn’t do anything else. I asked him about his desktop, theme and effects. He said he didn’t remember where he got them, other than visiting a site, downloading the theme, and selecting (I think he used Emerald) the appropriate menu option to choosing the theme file he downloaded. He said again, it was all done automatically for him. He also said he likes not getting blue screened anymore. He’s not into all the command line stuff and certainly does not have a clue about package dependencies. Command line tools like Aptitude, or GUI tools like Synaptic automatically take care of package dependency, etc.

I have enjoyed Linux in the sense that you can delve into the deepest technical issues as a hobbyist or professional, or you can use it with little to no experience (as my father, friends and clients have).

But as I mentioned, the most important thing, if Linux based distributions such as Ubuntu work well and keep someone happy, then power to them! If Windows does the same for someone else, then they should use it happily. Do I prefer Ubuntu? Of course, I do keep one Windows box on the network however, in case someone wants to use it, or there is a Windows based application I’d like to try out.

Either way, it’s a small world, the last thing we need is extra frustration and annoyance that we did something wrong to mess up our OS. And trust me, I’ve destroyed my OS more than once (requiring reinstalls) on both Windows and Linux based distributions.

After being sick of MS, I gave Ubuntu a try. However, I gave up after a couple of weeks because it was not user friendly to the average user like myself. The greatness of Ubuntu(and other Linux)being scalable to your preference can also be a frustration to non-techies. For example, you will have install flash and other things that we take for granted on MS. To do something so simple in MS you have to type a command prompt, then look it up then dl, then find it and make sure all packages are there.

I have to use Outlook and other MS products so I have to dl Wine and get the setting right, etc.

Then if you want to personalize the desktop you have to learn about different type of themes, learn what is gtk, Compiz, Emerald, hidden folders, Synaptic package manager, etc.

I am a fan of open source even though I work for a MS partner. I just think its for techies or people that have time to learn much more about their OS. I did try another distribution(distro)but it looked EXACTLY like MS Windows….not for me. Please dont get me wrong, I am not flaming Ubuntu or any Linux OS. I just think there should be a distro for us average users.

Thanks for catching that! Corrected. Reversed the .10 and .04 – What was I thinking at the time? O_o
:p