Although, I am all praise for the major Linux distributions that have managed to make Linux such a breeze to install and use and admit that leading Desktop Enviornments of the likes of KDE and GNOME have managed to address most of the issues regarding user friendliness, I believe they have a long way to go in the desktop interface arena. In my opinion, none of them have achieved the goal of a unified desktop interface for all that a Desktop user would ever want to do on a Linux system. The latest release of KDE has done well in trying to provide the user a unified interface that facilitates such desktop maneuvers. Hats off to the KDE and GNOME developer teams! I hope they get their code in soon and beat the *#@%* out of their closed source counterparts.

In addition to the above-mentioned issue, there is a plethora of issues that we need to address on various other fronts--for example, the lack of availability of DTP (Desktop Publishing) software for Linux. Yes, I know you recommend GIMP. But let me tell you that though GIMP is more than a worthy alternative, most people in addition to GIMP would also need COREL and ADOBE. As of today the whole COREL suite is available for Linux but ADOBE doesn't seem to have any commitment to the Linux platform. Of course I personally feel, it's just a matter of time before they too join the cause.

Another interesting fact is that many parents buy their children a Personal Computer for playing games. Support for various high-end graphic cards on Linux is becoming a defacto standard. But, there are a lot of companies out there that just fail to see any reason as to why they should ship their cards with support for Linux. Graphic cards apart, what about the availability of games for Linux? How many of the best selling games are available for Linux. How many gaming companies are serious about providing a Linux version of their games. Probably they don't see enough of a market to invest time and developers to develop Linux versions of their software.

Games apart, let us talk about business. Every business in this harsh dog-eat-dog world wants to survive. And to survive everyone needs a well-defined strategy and good accountant. What I am getting at here is the lack of availability of good financial management software for the Linux platform. Personally speaking, this has been an impediment in the path of my Accounts Department moving completely to Linux. If this be solved, it would be a dream come true.

Conclusion