I disagree. I set up computers for people that have had no or little previous exposure to computers, and I set them up with Linux because it's easier for them to learn. Though I'm now moving to Debian, some of my first victims -- I meant users -- were first exposed to default Ubuntu and Xubuntu installs. You know what? They were able to email, browse the web, and play games with very little help from me.

For something like changing the default search engine, they would give me a call and I'd ssh/vnc into their machine and make the changes; they would watch and sometimes learn how to do it next time. Sometimes they wouldn't.

No longer can you assume that linux users have a clue. I feel it is much harder to use (and maintain) a Windows system. Unless you've had years of exposure to Windows, that is.

What's better for you may not be better for me. And since Fedora, Ubuntu, and Debian are free software, why not try 'em all? After all, you have enough spare time to be posting on /. ...

With all this money, wouldn't it make more sense to use electric trains, monorails, buses for employees to get around the campus? Who needs the pollution from all these private cars making it from one side to the other? Put in a big parking lot on each end, close the roads to auto traffic, and shuttle the people around to where they need to be. The generated good PR would be worth a big investment on MS's part, certainly better than the sketchy nonsense ad campaign they've run lately.