Let’s get right to it: considering the popularity of open source applications and utilities, why hasn’t the open source flagship - the Linux operating system - caught on with mainstream PC users?

With the various incarnations of Linux available at the click of a button, why do the majority of PC users prefer to drop $200 US on a Windows Vista or Mac OS install disk instead of trying the third, free option?

According to Adrian Kingsley-Hughes at ZDNet, the lack of understanding between the Linux community and the average computer user can be boiled down to five crucial points: