I've been using Linux on and off for.. over 10 years now I think.
It's good fun, a great learning experience and of course has some of the best ever ideals (the whole thing is based on caring and sharing)
BUT there are also several reasons why I would still not consider using it as a full-time desktop OS on my primary PC:
* I do a lot of photography. No matter what the GIMP evangelists say, it will not touch Photoshop - it doesn't even come close. GIMP is great for the price though, don't get me wrong. There is also nothing that will touch BreezeBrowser when it comes to processing RAW files. I did get a Linux equivalent going after about 4-5 hours of troubleshooting compile problems (I'll get to that in a minute) and it felt half-finished compared with BB.
* Games. This is the reason I also don't have a Mac as a primary machine, and IMO it's even worse in Linux (you can't get World of Warcraft in Linux without botching it with Cedega for example, whilst you can on a Mac). Linux evangelists always say "But you can run Unreal Tournament! That's all the gaming you need!" - erm, no it's not. I like a choice of games. Linux has a choice of about 10 commercial game ports, Windows has tens of thousands. Cedega helps with some popular Windows-only games, but it always feels sluggish and glitchy compared to running the game natively on Windows.
* Going against "the norm". Oh, it's fine if you run a standard computer with a standard printer and only use it for standard apps (office package, web browser, etc). 'apt-get install foo' (Ubuntu is fantastic) and you're done. But you just wait until you want an unusual app (seemingly, RAW processing apps are still often considered 'unusual') that's not part of the package repository, or you need the latest version that supports 'x feature' and the binary package hasn't been updated for 6 months, or you want to use an unusual piece of hardware. Now you need to compile it yourself, and in my experience it's very rarely a simple matter of "./configure; make; make install". And wait - you didn't expect it to install an icon on the launch menu did you?
* Multiple standards. How ironic. I've got a choice of about 50 half-baked apps that do the same thing, when all I want is one decent one.
Or you have a choice of about 100 different distros that are all based on the same OS but do things ever so slightly differently. This is a nightmare for non-geek developers. Where should they put file soandso because each distro puts the file in a different place? Result - they have to provide versions for Ubuntu, SuSe, Redhat, Mandriva, Debian, blah blah blah... so they get annoyed at the whole process and don't maintain a Linux version of their software.
Don't even get me started on KDE and GNOME competing. Developer: "Yes, of course you can have a system tray icon - but only if you're using KDE. I don't know how to do one for GNOME." - grrreat.
I guess the bottom line is, like everything else there are pros and cons and you have to make a decision on what to use depending on what you need. Linux has many significant advantages as outlined in the OP. Personally speaking, whilst I enjoy tinkering around with Linux, I don't have time to any more - there are other things I prefer doing these days. It's now at the point where my time is valuable enough to me to justify paying Microsoft, Apple and Adobe for professionally-developed "you handle the headaches - just let me get on with my work" kind of software so that I can get on with my work / surfing / gaming and not have to invest half a day to install support for my new phone. I'm not worried about viruses or spyware - so long as you're a reasonably educated PC user and don't go clicking on every toolbar offer or fake dialog box that pops up, you're safe. I haven't had a virus or a piece of spyware for years and years.
However, please do try it. If you have the time and inclination to persevere, it can be very rewarding. Plus, the more people who use it the more companies will support it and the better most of the above situations will get. And you really can't beat having an advanced graphical OS, office package, photo manipulation software, stacks of games, music players etc etc all for $0.00.
To address Loony's list:
Yes, through Crossover Office, but read the fine print. Some apps such as Access are very flaky or only work in older versions e.g. Access 2000. You'd be better off with OpenOffice - you can get this for Windows so that you can evaluate it that way.Originally Posted by Loony BoB
AIM (with DeadAIM)
Only through gaim, which is a free alternative. Don't expect to be able to do any of the 'fancy' features like webcams etc (although I'm not sure how far gaim has come since I last used it). There is an official AIM for Linux, but it hasn't been updated for yonks.
Y!M
Yes, this is available. Again, I'm not sure if it has all the bells and whistles of the Windows version.
mIRC
Through WINE, yes it should work. For a native alternative, x-chat.
Winamp (with Last.fm)
No idea if it's supported in WINE. Probably not, as most people see xmms as a viable alternative, as do I - it seems to work the same and look the same. It appears that there is indeed a last.fm client for Linux.
CuteHTML
Again, WINE unknown. There is a huge choice of alternative HTML editors out there, but if you don't want alternatives then Linux isn't really for you... you're going to be crossing your fingers and trying things in WINE with mixed success, when you would be better off running them natively in Windows. By running (or trying to run) all Windows software on it you'd also be bypassing the main advantages of having Linux in the first place (software that is both free and Free).
eMule
lmule, the official port, hasn't been updated for ages.
Alternative - amule
WINE - unknown
IrfanView
There are various alternatives. This is probably like BreezeBrowser in that *parts* of it might work in WINE but nothing native to Linux will touch it.
FTP Wanderer
Probably not, never heard of it. Again, gFTP.
Media Player Classic
I think this ought to work under Crossover Office. Whilst of course the newer versions of Media Player do not. If you wanted it for Real Alternative, don't worry - there are several other "Real Alternative" alternatives for Linux.
MS Paint
*Shudder* there are many better alternatives on both platforms, but if you insist, yes. It was one of the first things working in WINE.
Azureus
Yes - Linux version
mIRCStats
Possibly, in WINE. No idea on alternatives.
DigiGuide
Sadly, no. The developer is also adamant that he will never make a Linux version. Some people have reported success with WINE, but AFAIK it doesn't work with newer versions of Digiguide and I never had any luck with the updater. I never found a decent alternative. This was one thing that I really really missed when trying to run Linux full-time.
VideoLAN (VLC)
No problem. This was originally developed for Linux, I think, and does have a Linux (and everything else) version.
Trillian
Sorry, no. Last time I tried, it didn't work in WINE either. Best alternative is gaim. Linux isn't fantastic for instant messengers, IMO.
Arcsoft PhotoStudio
Very unlikely to work in WINE, it's too "weird". Alternative = GIMP
Adobe Acrobat
Yep. In the non-free repositories or downloaded directly from Adobe.
DotColor
I doubt it - it'd be relying on the Windows display model so I doubt it'd pick any thing up off the Linux desktop. Maybe there'd be an alternative, unsure.
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