I found this article very good...
http://www.psychocats.net/essays/linuxdesktopmyth
Here is a good read...
Very good article, but perhaps a little bit long and overarching.
I don't know, I guess I am a Linux pseudo-elitist. I think that downloading and installing a distro is kinda like an entrance exam to the world of Linux. If you can't accomplish the simple research required to burn an iso, then you aren't ready for Linux. Doing the google searches and researching your hardware compatibility is a way to prove your commitment to learning something new. Once you've taken that step, then everything else is easy, because now you know that asking questions and reading documentation and google searces are how things get done in expertland. It's not just an installation, it's a "how-to-think-in-Linux" exercise.
Strangely, according to the article's definitions, I am a *nix expert.
I don't know, I guess I am a Linux pseudo-elitist. I think that downloading and installing a distro is kinda like an entrance exam to the world of Linux. If you can't accomplish the simple research required to burn an iso, then you aren't ready for Linux. Doing the google searches and researching your hardware compatibility is a way to prove your commitment to learning something new. Once you've taken that step, then everything else is easy, because now you know that asking questions and reading documentation and google searces are how things get done in expertland. It's not just an installation, it's a "how-to-think-in-Linux" exercise.
Strangely, according to the article's definitions, I am a *nix expert.

if you can install it, you can use it. i'd agree with that. if you can't then you should hire somebody who can to install and maintain it for you! (if more people did this, those of us who do know how to use linux might get a bit of pocket money!) that would be preferable to them shelling out money for expensive proprietary operating systems in my opinion.