Yup. RedHat 8.0 is getting there, but some new releases in the pipe line will make some significate improvements over it. I had a chance to catch up on some reading yesterday, and one article was about Linux OS need to simplify. Anyways, Caldrea and SuSE are coming out with Linux versions that the arthur of the article stated his mother would be able to install.

I think it will soon be as easy to install Linux as MS windows; however, even now, can't MS window be difficult to install? Window becomes difficult when you get into systems other that the desktop, like networking, security, remote access services, setting up a connection to your ISP, as well as many other Windows Admin tasks. Window uses a swap file and allocate memory need to hold registry entries. If system requirements increase, the user is notified to increase the virual memory drive or increase disk space needed to hold the registry. This can be difficult for the novice windows user, but at least, the windows novice doesn't need to worry about hacking any files from a command window using hard to use text editors. Most of Windows complexity is hidden behind easy to use graphic front-end tools. Hopefully, Linux will also get to this point. However, even in window some hacking can be necessary like setting up lmhosts, setting up memory variable and paths needed by some apps, registering activeX controls, etc.

One advantage that Linux has over Windows is use of paths rather that a registry. The Windows registry is difficult to use. There is not a great deal written about the registry, and once it's cooked, you had better have a backup. Also, the registry cannot be used over TCP/IP like a path can.
I would like to see windows drop the registry in favor of something that would hopefully play nice with everyone.

An install of a Linux app can go bad, but with a little patients I can almost alway correct any problem by linking files, setting up environment variables and paths, or evem re-compiling the app. I think text editor use in Linux/Unix is more prevalent because you get access to the source file both as to apps and the OS itself. After all, you need some way to write/modify the source code.

Also the Linux TCP/IP protocol was much better thought out that Windows NetBIOS protocol that uses names. Simple put, NetBIOS is not scalable enough to be use in a network the size of the internet. Even TCP/IP is beginning to reach it limits and may need to be fixed soon, because of the exponential grow of the internet.

I believe a system should not be any more complex than the requirement placed upon it. To simplify a system beyond what is needed to provide the desired functionality would be counter productive.