It's not there by default and there are many more examples I could go over, and to install on Windows you have to hunt down the software, determine trust, download, install, and hope it's secure. And I'm going to guess that you're using a lot of Free Software that has been ported to Windows since you haven't spent that much money. Are you using OpenOffice instead of Office? Much of the software you can add to Windows to gain similar functionality to Linux is Free Software from the same community you criticize below. How much free software are you using on Windows? It used to be before I switched to Linux that you had to pay for a lot of software, like a news aggregator, MP3 ripper..... Many things you get with your Linux install. Fortunately for Windows users the Free Software revolution has come to Windows too.None of the functionality you describe can't be done on windows machines. Whether the software comes with the os or is easy installable is really of little consequence. I really don't think most people feel bled dry. I paid $99 for my copy of xp and have used it for four years, all the while being up to date and not having to reinstall to get the latest software. I've paid $50 for a top notch video editor and $50 for anydvd. The rest of my software is free cost. I hardly feel bled dry.
If your machine gets owned, how else will you be sure it's clean unless you re-install? A lot of the security software for Windows is just not that good being signature based with the new polymorphic malware. Actually, with the Windows registry mess and your machine degrading over time, you end up having to re-install to restore your machine's speed. Of course this depends on how much software you install and remove. Even Leo recommends you do a fresh install from 6 months to a year depending on what kind of user you are. I've never needed to re-install any of my Linux versions nor does their speed degrade over time, so your point here was stretched in the wrong direction. We upgrade to a newer version of Linux or try another distro because it's free and fun to do. Many versions of Linux are supported for a long period if you want to stick with what you have. Having your /home directory on its own partition makes installing/upgrading Linux pretty easy compared to Windows, especially with package management in Linux. I can get a new Linux distro up with software, config files edited, in a fraction of the time it would take me to do the same with an XP re-install.I agree that security is a big selling point. Most people become very interested in linux when the security aspect is brought up. Unfortunately as I have said previously it becomes moot when coupled with lack of functionality. Most feel safe enough with antivirus and spyware detectors.
I find the reinstall argument pretty weak. I find the reality is that you have to reinstall linux far more often than windows to keep up to date.
Away from work I'm a full time Linux user with the exception of two map packages I use for planning hiking and backpacking trips (Wine might actually cover this need now or virtualization). I find the fit and finish of Linux just fine. I don't think I would have done more than play with Linux 10 years ago. But today it's better than Windows for me, and I wish I could use it at work. There are many bugs with my XP machine at work that annoy me over the course of the day. Consequently, Linux is still approaching that critical mass. As more people discover it, and more people develop for it, eventually Linux reaches a community around the world so large that a single software company can no longer compete just based on numbers. And software companies will eventually begin porting their advanced professional software to Linux once the economics are there. And in developing countries a Linux system gives you all the tools you need to become a developer including all the source code. Look at ATI/AMD and how they've embraced Linux and Free Software now, Intel, Dell, Lenovo.... So keep using your XP for now if that makes you happier, but keep watching. The story isn't over.Aside from the live cd you could have written this 10 years ago. Still not ready for the desktop. The foss community still hasn't shown that it can do the tedious work of fit and finish when it comes to desktop software.
That IS how the XP discs work. I don't OWN a full copy of XP. I own Windows 98 SE full and an XP upgrade, so I have to install 98 then upgrade.
