[usgator]

If Linux will get away from the geeky GNU & Gnome-speak, and reach a level where you pop in a CD and get a running system without have to change hardware, hunt drivers, and join forums, it will finally be ready for prime time. IMO, it's not quite there yet. But it may be approaching it.

This is my point exactly.  Linux is okay, but it just takes too much work to get it where you can do the things on MS that you do daily.  Add in the hair-pulling experience of trying to track down application dependancies and it can be frustrating.

MS should have reason to be wary of Linux, as in can compete in the future, but it has a ways to go yet.

[backhoe]

Linux is okay, but it just takes too much work to get it where you can do the things on MS that you do daily. Add in the hair-pulling experience of trying to track down application dependancies and it can be frustrating. MS should have reason to be wary of Linux, as in can compete in the future, but it has a ways to go yet.

Exactly.

[N3WBI3]

Linux is at that point, I have installed Fedora on countless machines without reconfiguring anything.

Gator where you were having troubles was running AIM on Linux instead of GAIM which is a native product with the same functionality.

The dependency issue is solved by YUM, or APT. If you try to pick and choose RPM's yes you will hit them. If you install with YUM or APT (which comes on every distro I have ever used) they solve the dependency issues for you.