I think you're over-stating the case when you make the point that Linux is easy to install and set up. In the forum I hang out, we ran an experiment. Six computer literate and technical users who had never run Linux before installed the Feisty Fawn release on clean systems. Some installed the 64-bit version and some the 32-bit version (by some accounts the 32-bit version is more reliable.
All but one had problems either installing the OS, configuring it, or getting standard Linux apps to run on it. Issue ranged from errant files stuck on the desktop that couldn't be deleted, unable to configure broadband (specifically wireless) and VPN connections, specific applications not working correctly (not Linux fault, more than liekly, but a new user won't care whose fault it is), basic hardware not working correctly (e.g. non-exotic CD drives), not being able to set the correct resolution and having to manually edit the conf file (which most users won't be able to do), problems with Adobe Flash, issues with partitioning hard drives.
To quote one of the participants: "I simply don't have the time to spend three hours attempting to do (and failing) what windoze does in two minutes and a couple of mouse clicks...". Remember these are literate technically-minded users. "Too much hassle all of this", to quote another.
Meanwhile, experienced Linux users were chipping in suggestions: "Use Adept", "Use Automatix2" etc. All very well, but that's just over-loading a new user with strange stuff.
My own experience with it (as somebody who is somewhat familiar with it but not intimately familiar) is that it's fine until something out-of-the-ordinary occurs, then getting to grips with the event suddenly becomes a matter of dealing with some very arcane aspects of the underlying system.
Experienced Linux users who were also playing with the new toy all reported a good experience and loved it. This suggests that while the current crop of 'user friendly' distros really are user-friendly IF you know what you're doing, Linux still has a long way to go before a technically literate user unfamiliar with it is going to feel comfortable with it, much less a mass-market user. And while this is the case, the market for Linux is never going to start growing even linearly, much less exponentially.
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Still not mass-market
I think you're over-stating the case when you make the point that Linux is easy to install and set up. In the forum I hang out, we ran an experiment. Six computer literate and technical users who had never run Linux before installed the Feisty Fawn release on clean systems. Some installed the 64-bit version and some the 32-bit version (by some accounts the 32-bit version is more reliable.
All but one had problems either installing the OS, configuring it, or getting standard Linux apps to run on it. Issue ranged from errant files stuck on the desktop that couldn't be deleted, unable to configure broadband (specifically wireless) and VPN connections, specific applications not working correctly (not Linux fault, more than liekly, but a new user won't care whose fault it is), basic hardware not working correctly (e.g. non-exotic CD drives), not being able to set the correct resolution and having to manually edit the conf file (which most users won't be able to do), problems with Adobe Flash, issues with partitioning hard drives.
To quote one of the participants: "I simply don't have the time to spend three hours attempting to do (and failing) what windoze does in two minutes and a couple of mouse clicks...". Remember these are literate technically-minded users. "Too much hassle all of this", to quote another.
Meanwhile, experienced Linux users were chipping in suggestions: "Use Adept", "Use Automatix2" etc. All very well, but that's just over-loading a new user with strange stuff.
My own experience with it (as somebody who is somewhat familiar with it but not intimately familiar) is that it's fine until something out-of-the-ordinary occurs, then getting to grips with the event suddenly becomes a matter of dealing with some very arcane aspects of the underlying system.
Experienced Linux users who were also playing with the new toy all reported a good experience and loved it. This suggests that while the current crop of 'user friendly' distros really are user-friendly IF you know what you're doing, Linux still has a long way to go before a technically literate user unfamiliar with it is going to feel comfortable with it, much less a mass-market user. And while this is the case, the market for Linux is never going to start growing even linearly, much less exponentially.