@ the last word shrills
Yawn, give up with the out of date FUD will you. Tell Steve to give you a new script.
William - here's a hint.
Kubuntu standard install < 30 mins, including Open Office, Firefox and Nvidia's 3D drivers - No command line trickery needed, just a few simple questions answered and off you go.
MS XP Pro install > 4hours, including updates, the need locate driver CD's or downloads. Oh and the requirement to install a 3rd party AV / firewall product before going on line for updates.
Both done recently, on standard spec PCs.
Your either FUDing or have been taken in by the FUD. As for keeping away from dodgy sites - you have read all the recent articles about malware gangs preferring to go the route of infected adds served off 'brand name' sites now haven't you? Maybe you DO need to do some patching, if you aren't just trolling.
As for the 'it looks different - so they'll run away' AC. I guess that's why Microsoft has never changed the windows interface with each subsequent release?
The real differences in computer GUIs have been so little, for so long, I'd compare it to the issue of getting a new car. Yes, the lights and other functions may move, but the steering wheel and pedals tend to stay in same place. But of course, you employer likes to make sure that idea is swamped by a mountain of FUD.
And yes, I've put Linux installs ( way back to SuSE 6.4) in front of people who would qualify as 'uninterested in IT'. And they didn't comment about any differences, they just got on with what they were doing.
You also reuse that other tired strawman, 'if it was popular, it would be targeted and be as vunerable' . It is popular, and it is targeted - on nice big juicy powerful web servers. And because it was designed with networking and security in mind in the first place, it's still far more secure than Windows, which is one of the reasons it popular for such tasks. ( and from what I gather it's the most popular OS base used in dedicated firewalls, even those run by Microsoft ).
You know, most Linux users aren't after Linux monopolising the desktop in the way Bill so desperately wanted windows to ( 'A computer on every desk and windows on it' ). We like fair competition - it tends to ensure things improve over time. We just want to ensure that we are free to put the software we trust on OUR computers, without the need to pay a tax to prop up Microsoft. I guess that makes me a capitalist snob then?
Unfortunately, serfs such as yourself feel so threatened by this, and so you happily flood any Linux related news stories with tired FUD, that was hardly accurate 10 years ago - windows also tended to require command line trickery then, and personally I tend to consider the registry hacks Microsoft pushes through it's knowledge base as even worse than the command line / config file hacks that MSCE's love to claim Linux always requires.
So please give it a rest, we know who you are and its tiresome all the way down to the ' I must post AC' so my changing story can't be tracked MO.