I know - yet another proposal to use a different Linux Distro but I am very happy with lubuntu (http://lubuntu.net/) which has a very clean look and just works.

On a side note: what still puzzles me is - for 15 years I've tried to explain the desktop metaphor to non-technical people among friends and family and now that we 24"+ screens and it starts to make sense, we move back to the single application paradigm...

Having installed Ubuntu 9.04 on various machines in my family (my mom's not exactly a power user), I can't really follow your argumentation. Nor the agitation.

A) No. Installing Ubuntu is easy. A proper dual-boot setup takes some experience - especially if you use Firefox/Thunderbird profiles etc from both OSs.
B) There is a problem with USB WiFi adapters but everything else worked out of the box. If you want to use the latest and greatest HW, stick to Windows.
C) It is a matter of use cases: my experience is that Linux is good enough. And yes, if you must use program X which only runs under Windows, well, then stick to Windows.
D) Yes, mainstream games suck on Linux. Get a console - PC gaming is dying anyway.

So again, if you have special requirements (hardware, software), stick to Windows, otherwise I found that Linux (Ubuntu in this case) is good enough for the average desktop user (judging from the small sample that I support in my spare time).

Oh, and keep your karma. You may need it when Windows 7 is out ;-)

--duck

As a father of two (3 and 0.5):
Take him outdoors, dig holes, build a hut, explain how the trees grow and the cycle of the seasons.

As other posters have pointed out, come back in three years. He will be interested in what you are doing anyway and learn quickly when he's ready - but for now he needs to learn tons of other stuff.

--blametheduck