That sort of overreacting ape****ness stems from being selfish and having tunnelvision.. it's not conducive to having a symbiotic long term relationship and they're bound to feel 'exploited' or 'used' in the long term because they're not seeing the big picture.

What Linux people needs to understand is that for the average Joe, Windows already works, maybe not perfectly, but it works, and it is going to be better with Windows 7 (in fact I am using 7 right now).

So, what the average Joe (or the average corporation) think when presented with the Linux option is that they would need to go through the complex process of migration and re-learning an OS, to do the same things they are already doing now.

So just being free and "not evil" is not good enough. As unfair as it may seem, Linux has to offer more. In that sense, I think Ubuntu is going the right way.

So far I'm not feeling the Windows 7 love... it's as menu-and-popup-laden as Vista. I'm comfy with XP 64.

It's not about free, but about freedom. Average Joe, doesn't care about that, so it's up to the "Linux people" to demand that. And one shouldn't make compromises with freedom.

I just have no value for it. None.

On a computer science level: it's trash. Really. Absolutely.

On a cultural level, it's the equivalent of fast food burgers made with processed cheese-food, extruded foam buns, and questionable "meat products".

On a computing professional level ... it's somewhat of a combination of those two (what professional chef wants to flip burgers in a McDonalds? what professional chef would brag about being the chef de cuisine for McDonalds?). If you can call it "designed", it's poorly designed, and it's terribly implemented. Windows apologists like to say that "it's the legacy code that holds it back", yet Apple managed to make a better kernel that still ran their crappy legacy infrastructure.

On an ergonomics level, the ONLY UI's I've ever used, that are worse, are the general X windows GUI's (Maemo and Ubuntu being the only exceptions).

As a computing user, I've found FAR less frustration with any flavor of *nix than I ever had with any flavor of Windows. Nor have I found any applications that I need where I couldn't find an alternative (often a _better_ alternative) on a *nix platform. Apple is better here then Linux or non-Apple BSD, but it's still there. The only exception being "games", and I prefer to run games on game consoles.

What does it offer me in the computing arena, that McDonalds doesn't offer me in the food arena? Nothing. "Every Vendor Sells It" == "there's one on every street in America". Windows is to computing what McDonalds is to cuisine and nutrition.

I wouldn't say I hate Windows. Just like I don't hate McDonalds. I just don't eat at McDonalds. Despite my weight (which I'm working on), I do actually care about my body, and what I put in it. Similarly, I don't use Windows. And I feel the same way about my choice in computing platforms, what things I will or wont run, what I'm willing to do to the computing ecosphere or not (by exposing the internet to virus laden and virus vulnerable devices), etc. as I feel about what things I would or wouldn't put in my body.

And I honestly (no offense intended to any of you) feel that people who run Windows either don't care any more about their computers than people who eat at McDonalds care about their bodies, or I assume that for some reason don't have a choice. I'm just not willing to be one of those people (not caring, nor not having a choice).

The same re-learning that keeps the masses from moving to Apple.

Oh... wait... they have stared moving to Apple.

What was the logic there again?

So, after re-reading what I wrote comparing McDonalds to Windows, I have to say...

I just realized I am to computing what Vegans are to nutrition.

And I'm ok with that. But, for any of you who haven't made that connection yet (and either embraced it, or dismissed me), it's worth spelling out. :-}

It's been what I need to make my living. Not your living, or anyone else's of course, but mine.

Now... someone port Solidworks and Cakewalk Sonar to Linux, and that's a good start for change...

So, you wouldn't consider buying the Booklet and then installing your preferred *nix distro on it?

No no no, John, you're getting disingenuous.

Again: subject NOT black and white. Keep repeating that to yourself.

The masses are not moving to Apple, the self-professed elite are. If and when masses actually do so, let me know. Then Apple will be the thing you hate.