First let me start by saying that I am supporter of Linux, and rely on it for work and home use. However, one of biggest drawbacks that I continually run across and bang my head against the wall is drivers. Yes I know that it is improving and getting better every day, but it is far from utopia yet. If you run Linux you know exactly what I am talking about, because I can guarantee that you have spent countless hours looking for a driver for “whatever hardware” for your particular Linux version and build. Then getting it installed correctly can be another task in itself.
To me this is the one of the biggest things that is preventing me from recommending switching to Linux to average computer users that I know. I preach the Linux gospel, but I would never recommend that a friend switch t for his or her home use. If you run a server for your home computer, then there is no doubt that I would recommend Linux. But none of my friends do. In fact, I fear the day that I ask my wife to log on to my Redhat or Suse machine to download the latest pictures from Kennywood out of our Cannon digital camera. However there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon, because I know that Google just ported Picasa to Linux. For those not familiar with Picasa, it is probably the best Free sofware for managing all of your digital photos. I recommend it to everyone that I know.
