Linux is arguably stabler than Windows. I'll acquiesce to that, even though I believe in the nearly 2 years I've used XP it's crashed only once on me.

It's free. Most people would consider that an advantage over Windows. Not having to pay for something is good. Its software alternatives are comparable to that of Windows.

For most users, it's not the ideal desktop environment, though. It's lacking in certain key areas.

It is not easier to use and set up than Windows. That is an enormous exaggeration that I see a lot of *nix users put out, myself included a few years ago. Linux is definitely harder to use than Windows.

For one, many things even in Ubuntu require at least some level of CLI knowledge. Though this is simple once you are used to syntax, it is certainly intimidating to a newbie.

Hardware support is limited in comparison to Windows. No, this is not a fault of *nix developers, but it's an advantage that Windows has over Linux.

Open-source software is often incomplete and buggy. My complaint is when you download something, you don't really know what you're getting. Beryl, for instance, causes problems with my video drivers. My computer isn't horrendously old, nor is it straight out of the box. I got it in March '06.

Linux offers a lot of customizability but tweaking and customizing your environment is certainly not a simple task, a fact that *nix proponents often fail to mention.

Furthermore, I understand, even with open-source it is more often user error than program error. Being a user, I fall into that category. I'm not claiming to be infallible. However, I do tend to do my research before I complain about something. It's a known issue with Beryl.

I'd appreciate it if you could keep snide written laughter to a minimal. If you must laugh at me, please read the entire post that you are laughing at, and make sure you're correct on the matter. Otherwise it just makes you look weak. Yes, when replying to Mantra I used pronouns in my first sentence. Shame on me. Later on in the post, though, I clarified that I was referring to Beryl and not Linux. It's highly insulting to be laughed at by someone who described the terminal as being analogous to the Windows registry. It hurts my ego. I have no choice but to go cut myself now. Thanks a lot.