I've tried Ubuntu, and it won't connect to my wireless network. I've configured the security settings correctly, its sees the network, but it just won't connect. This is with two different routers, and I've tried both WPA and WPA2, with no luck.

As I research how to fix things in Ubuntu, I still find all sorts of references to dropping to the command line and entering various Linux arcana. It's not much of a challenge for me, really; I've made things work in Linux before. But, it's certainly not ready to replace Windows for the vast majority of the computer-using world, for whom the command line is a foreign concept.

And so, when I read articles like this about someone who's made the switch to Linux because Vista is so hard to work with, I get a bit of a chuckle. It's one thing to claim Linux works for a computer professional who doesn't work in a corporate environment; it's another thing to claim that it's easier to use than Vista for a computer novice, or that it's an acceptable option in a corporate environment that relies heavily on Microsoft server-side products.

Linux, including Ubuntu, has a long way to go before it can replace any version of Windows. Assertions to the contrary, I'm convinced, are just another form of Microsoft-bashing.