I'm jumping in here without reading the whole thread, but I do follow the Linux story in the press. Specifically I build a lot of computers and read about building.
I see no consistence whatever in recomendations for the prefered Linux distribution. I have no fear of Unix. I programmed in C for eight years on an AT&T box. I haven't gotten interested in Linux because the programs I use aren't available. At the moment that would be Sound Forge and Photoshop. The wife uses Electric Quilt. Those plus the internet are pretty much all we use.
Two major camps... Suse based, and RH based. There are others but those are the big two. Its like PC dealers you have Dell, HP-Compaq, and some others no rule as to which is right for you. Major differences between aer usually defaultFS, update agent, and Gui (Gnome, KDE, ...). Of course I can put YUM (what I use) on Suse if I so choose..
I haven't gotten interested in Linux because the programs I use aren't available.
Valid and true reason. I would point out GIMP has come a long way for all but people who publish on paper. BUt no its not for everyone but how many people need photoshop? gimp would do for 95% of users. BTW what is soud forge?
Look I dont think Linux is for everyone, or even for most people, but I think that it would do for a significant number of people. If it had a big enough share it might get some of those apps ported to it (despite the rumors you can run closed source apps on Linux). Will this happen? dont know, dont really care Linux has done just fine keeping its capabilities up with a small market share and thats enough for me.
one more thing, you still may want to use Knoppix or another CD based distro for on-line transactions if you do allot of that. I use it even though I am running Linux because no systems is 100% safe.
"I see no consistence whatever in recomendations for the prefered Linux distribution."
That's a good thing...it means that people are actually choosing what works best for them. Nothing could be finer than having the option of trashing an OS that is no longer meeting your needs.
As I said earlier, right now, between home and work, I'm running 4 different Linux OS's on everything from a 200mHz Pentium with 128 Mb ram, all the way up to a 2.0 Ghz Celeron with 512 MB ram.
You can choose the distro that fits your preference, or, is best for the equipment you're running. Lots of people find one that fits.
And yes, I have Windows programs that I use that don't run on Linux too. No problem. Most often, my Windows box isn't allowed on the Internet, because she exposes herself to the world like a drunken coed at spring break. But, I do use it for the occasional game or whatnot that can't run on Linux. Although, with OpenOffice, Firefox, Gaim, Gimp, etc., it looks more and more like a Linux box everyday.
For surfing/IM, word processing, watching DVD's, listening to music, HTML editing/uploading, etc., I use Linux almost exclusively. The apps are competently built and very easy to install (hear me, Bush2000?). And as for price, you can't beat free, no matter how many apps you install. Plus, almost no maintenance whatsoever. I can actuall USE my computer instead of endlessly updating, scanning, restarting, etc.