Have to disagree here, there is simply no way (without additional software) to perform batch operations efficiently. To test it out, try and rename all .zip files to .bak from the Windows Explorer.
Why? People don't like change! While at first glance Linux says "Same!" those who try Linux and star office say "different!" The Networking and GUI issues killed novell and were more than enough that the public overwhelmingly changed sides.
Depends on the market you're going for. I don't think anyone has said that the home market is ready to switch. The industry rags which have had articles on companys, citys, govts, etc switching to Linux cover the UI issue pretty throughly and the different UI hasn't been an issue. The only issues regarding the UI I remember reading about are how the users grumble they can't modify their system (hotbar anyone?) and the sysadmins rejoice the users can't modify their system.
With Linux 2004 there is no compelling reason to change. The fact is the company is a windows wannabe with practically no price tag does not make a Toyota owner want to jump into a yugo!
Depends again on the market you're talking about. For the home market, you're probably correct, but on the corporate side, I'd have to disagree.
The server market is different because it it a total techie field and has little to do with the users.
when I worked for a un-named city government I posed the question of switching to linux,at that point I came head to head with resistance both from IT, city management, and users. this made me re-evaluate my thought just a few years ago that Linux was infact just an inch or twofromtaking the desktop market. In the media they want Linux to suceed against microsoft so bad -- almost as much as the left wants Bush defeated.
In further examination I found similar feelings from people working for other city governments. Compound that with not what the magazines are all saying in lock step (any time anyone switches it's national news, when some one quits Linux and returns it goes unreported) The telltale sign (unreported)is what consumers are not doing.