On Wed, 3 Feb 2010, bob wrote: > Give me some GOOD OCR software and much better hardware compatibility, > and I will change my mind, throw out Windows, and never look back! > > The most important point though, is that Linux lovers need to stop > arguing with me and fix the problems. If you don't, Linux will always > be inferior to Windows for the masses. But then.... isn't that what > some of you really want? These supposed problems are only problems for people with incompatible hardware or with certain software needs that aren't met in a GNU/Linux environment. If you choose hardware that works well with Linux, you can install Ubuntu in 15 minutes (using maybe 2 minutes of your own time). I have installed it on five desktop machines in the past year with no problems. I also installed it on a EeePC netbook (Ubuntu Netbook Remix) and that too was fairly easy -- I had to use a USB stick which could challenge some people but it wasn't a huge hassle. I don't want Linux to be "inferior for the masses," and I don't think it is inferior. People usually don't have to install Windows, but if they did, they'd have problems. If manufacturers would sell their computers with Linux installed, "the masses" would do great. As Linux popularity increases, demand will increase, and manufacturers will have to adjust. Microsoft will fight for their exclusivity agreements (which probably should be illegal because they are anti-competitive), but they might be overwhelmed in the end, or at least I hope that will happen. Mike