h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is just my humble opinion but Ubuntu does suck, Installing it on my nieces machine was a nightmare (and I'm a longtime BSD/Linux user), the GUI install did not work at all and the text install lacked many of the options I'd expect - Its only advantage as far as I can see is its large user-base. I normally point new users toward Mepis Linux.
Currently I'm quite happy with Debian testing on the Desktop and NetBSD on the Server

Happy Dude's posting makes me think that there could be an opportunity for the BBC here. An 'all things computer' version of Top Gear with the right presenters would go down a treat, with presenters arguing the pro's and con's of their own particular favourite operating systems.

Wouldn't it be great to see the Distro Watch top 40 being counted down with the verve and vitality that Alan 'Fluff' Freeman used to bring to his chart countdowns.

OK maybe not exactly great. I may be getting carried away here.

OK I admit it, I really want to see somebody like Clarkson trashing all things Apple. My apologies to the many good and decent people out there who love them ...

The best operating system is the one the user likes

As to the BBC's coverage of technology can I ask am I the only one that is fed up to the back teeth with the BBC assuming its audience is technologically illiterate (this applies to TV/Radio and web).

I think that personal computers have now become exactly that - personal.

We are now at the stage where a person can now feel that the choices they make about accommodating their personal computing now reflects on how they present themselves to the world.

Which kind of comes back to the starting point of this conversation.

I like Linux partly because it is a less well known operating system. I can justify it in strong moral tones - using open source software, organic products and fair trade will save the world blah, blah, blah - but there is a strong element of simply enjoying the feeling of not being the run of the mill.

The crisis comes when using Linux actually excludes you from doing things that you want to do or have access to.

I am almost ashamed to say that I would have given up on my Linux installation on my last laptop if I had failed to get the wireless card working or to get the open source real player working, because what I really want from my laptop now is to use it as an internet radio so that I can have BBC Radio with me wherever I go (I live in Holland and need access to a cultural environment in which I feel really comfortable).

I don't mind Microsoft making it difficult to do my own thing without their assistance - it is a fun fight. When the BBC starts making things difficult for me ....