Re:The cost of the OS is minimal (Score 1)

My comment was made based on my admittedly limited experience, but I am far from a Windows lover. In fact, in one failed attempt to get away from Windows, I literally reinstalled OS/2 7 times and worked 24/7 on it for about 2 weeks before I gave up on it (there were issues with a new Dell BIOS at the time). A couple years later I tried to install Linux several times over the course of a week before I figured out that it didn't support my video card and I would never be able to use X Windows (this was pre-KDE/Gnome). I've been meaning to try it again for a long time, but I know that it's going to require me to spend a minimum of a weekend to get it configured the way I want it. I've gotten my mom and dad savvy enough to use an iMac and Windows respectively, but unless Linux has come much further than I think, I can't imagine either of them using it without a lot of help. For the things they use it for (e-mail, web, word, icq), I think the time it would take to teach them Linux wouldn't be worth the benefit.

If I'm wrong, and other people have had good experiences getting non-technical co-workers/parents/grandparents up and running on Linux, maybe I'll give it a try.