It’s bugs like these that make me think sometimes that “Linux” is going backward. Or maybe I should just go back to twm, xwd and the command line. Grandma doesn’t need to use my PC!

WHEN IT WORKS, but right now its usability and stability are roughly comparable to the initial run of Windows 95

well you’re onto something but comparing say debian or ubuntu to that heap of crap. Are you serious? First, Do you remember how much windows 95 cost? What hardware it supported? Was it a multi-user system? Did it even come with a simple firewall installed? Was it plagues with the BSOD (refer back to the money question)? Talk to me about windows 95 security in regards to the internet.

I see what you are trying to say but you still are well off the mark. I have had a clean install of debian (with no tweaking to get things working) running for weeks (with updates and new kernel drivers installed) without so much as a system reboot, let alone a lock up. Meanwhile I have been chugging along on the web, burning cd’s, downloading giant files, backing up data and running various apps on windows via vmware on Destkop # 3 of my cube. I don’t think 95 could touch any of that. But you are right. Linux in terms of utter refinement, 100% hardware compatibility and excellent 3rd party software support, is far behind M$’s latest and greatest rip off, the bug-free version of Vista aka 7 (plus a few nice features eg. Windows ‘holy ripoff’ PowerShell) for the ultimate low price of $150 ( don’t worry they will upgrade in two years and make xp obsolete so prepare to shell out money if you haven’t bought 7 yet).

but i conclude with my thesis again, money and a monopoly will get you a near perfect system (speaking in generalities) and will undoubtedly make you look better than something put together on probably 1/1000th of the budget. But for what it’s worth the latter system does what I need it to do, and I use windows for anything obscure.

Price may not be, but choice should be. Call me a zealot call me a fanboy but, There were plenty of times Windows had problems like this. When it was supposed to be the best. BSOD, compatibility isuues, lack of user friendliness features, and people shelled out thousands of dollars over and over again because it was forced fed to us by a monopoly. So, fast forward to now, thanks to all of us lining the pockets of Microsoft over and over, they put out a stable product, that has ripped off every one of its good attributed (almost every) from *NIX (I will throw apple into here because it is closely related to BSD). I chose the lesser of two evils right now because,
A.) I am patient (sounds like you are too)
B.) I like to learn (same as above)
C.) CHOICE, not cost ( although if linux cost as much as windows I owuld never buy it.)

Is this all making sense? Comparing the two is trivial at best (ref. this log and the thousands like it) M$ is a billion dollar company with a constant influx of money. You should step back and be amazed that Linux has made it this far (see amazingly I dont need windows with linux, thanks to VMWARE and btjunkie.org, now linux can run windows…) on what you could compare to a college drop-out’s budget. Of corse windows is better, so is mac, would you expect anything less? but better is relative, better if you mean more compatible and more refined, then yes. But if you mean flexibility, choice, cost, control, stability then I would say no.