Linux is a dream that is not realy there

WoW!

About five years ago I tried Linux, several distros, and the only reason at that time that I did not stick to it was because Intuit's Quickbooks did not work with Linux, and there were no other comparable alternatives available.

With the exception of Toshiba (controlled by M$) laptops, I have never had any major problems installing and customizing Linux

I am now running all my personal PC's on knoppix, as well as all my office PC's. I do not have any non Linux apps, with the exception of Quickbooks, and for that, I give great thanks to Wine, life is great, the staff like it when the computers run 24/7, and can access their systems from home, and each other's terminals.

after mine own beard growing learning curve, I helped the staff in the transition with the exception of one, but then that educationally challenged chap needs a mouse to operate the microwave.

Up until about 6 months ago, I was a MS user. I knew and understood the operating system, but I got sick of all the bullshit associated with it and needed a switch. I've been through about 12 - 15 different distros, looking for the right one for me, and I haven't had ANY problems installing them. I find that if you actually ummm....READ the instructions and follow them, it is quite easy.
Even if doing a text-based install is too difficult for a XP user, who'se obviously attracted to the bright colors and flashy graphics, much as a mentally retarded person would be, I've found that the blag! distro has a very nice GTK based installer, that does everything for you, right down to creating the swap partitions. Just a few simple clicks. Come to think about it, VectorLinux does it too. Boy, I think Knoppix and OverClockix were really easy to install.
FreeBSD gave me some problems, but after a quick scan of the online install guide, I found out about the automatic partitioning of that too.
What I'm trying to say is, if you have been trying for FOUR years, four f*king years, you have some serious problems. There is a good chance that you shouldn't even own a computer right now, do to the inherant safety hazards that you pose to yourself and others with your ignorance.

M$ = no comments
Linux = I like it a lot

IMHO

Newbies > try live cds or pre-configured distros as ex. Xandros, Yoper, Suse ( These are user friendly )
Developers > ex. Knoppix, Debian, Slackware ( Also user friendly but is more compatible and stable for tweaking etc. )
Über > ex. compile your own kernel and maybe use ex. fluxbox if you like to have a gui ( This way you end up with a secure and super fast OS )

Ohh, I am not really an über tötung but I do have some knowledge of it, I've compiled a few kernels in the past but nowadays I mostly develop web, perl and php and I am using Feather Linux as my dist.