My point is that I get the impression (perhaps erroneously) that the initial discussion of network configuration sustains in you the notion that Linux requires a level of geekhood that is rarely necessary in the Mac and Windows worlds. As Dwayne and Ravi pointed out, that hasn't been the case for years, particularly when you have the sort of hardware-tailored installation that Mac and Windows usually enjoy by default. As others have pointed out, for geeks Linux still has special attractions, but they are nearly orthogonal to its accessibility to non-specialists. OS X, being technically similar behind the slick UI, demonstrates this point nicely.
-- Andy