So, to sum up Ravi, you're saying that as an OS for *Joe Schmoe* who doesn't want to be bothered with the internals and only wants things to work WinXP (I'm assuming Pro) is just the ticket with the right tools in place (counter-measures for malware, basic port control, etc).
And, regarding Linux, it's a nice hobby OS or toy but the available UIs aren't as smooth as what XP has to offer and don't integrate features as well. Annnnd, hardware support isn't what it should be annnnd, it's not even really useful as an enterprise desktop - though its okay for some server apps because Windows -- as organized via Active Directory -- has it all over Linux like a Maserati has it all over a Ford Taurus.
Okay, okay.
Listen, all that may be correct (though, truth be told, a lot of it is debatable as of April 4, 2005 as I print, browse, integrate with an AD via a GUI interface to Samba, pick up files from my uSB drive, print to a net printer using CUPS, siphon digital photos off my Sony and otherwise rock and roll using SUSE Pro 9.2 on a Dell laptop...but I'm digressing) but I think there's something you're missing or haven't mentioned.
Criticizing Linux hardware support as compared to Win's is not sportsmanlike behavior because, as you know, the vendors have to do their part too. Now it's easy to get them to do the work for Win32 -- the money's all there. But getting them to do it for GNU/Linux isn't always easy. There's a lot of politics and reverse engineering needed behind the scenes that Redmond simply never, ever, ever has to do.
Cause they own the road down which the vehicles roll.
Similarly, there's a heavy dose of un-charitability in evidence when you say, as you did, that GAIM is all kinds of wrong because it can't do the loop-dee-loops your native Win32 Trillian (or pick your fave chat client) can do. That is true, oh so true but GAIM is working against a lot of head wind. Slack should be cut my brother.
You're right on just about all your technical counts but to my way of thinking the big picture is being neglected: people are trying to make a thing work with a huge bag of liabilities dragging them down. They don't have the command of the industry, they can't say to every-frigging-body *JUMP!* and watch in amusement as the multitude tries to go higher and higher.
In short, they can't say to ATI Technologies: *listen, this is how your cards should talk to our OS* and expect rapid and accurate response.
They have to work harder and face greater obstacles. It's a miracle, given the height of the barriers, that I can pop a CD into the drive, boot up my computer and approx 30 minutes later have a working Fedora Core 3, Debian, Knoppix or what have you machine -- warts and all.
I've decided that in my own OS debate adventures -- which come up far too often amongst the geekirati, I'm going to stop praising Microsoft for getting things right it should have gotten right ten years ago, for integrating things well when it goddamn well better be able to integrate the components of its own universe and I'm going to cease complaining too loudly about Linux gaffes that are the result of people not having the clout, the time, the money or the hierarchical, command and control structure of a multinational.
.d.