I had installed Linux on my home computer in India for the sole purpose of helping my mom watch the movies i got from Singapore without the headache of a missing codec.

I had put everything in place - with every possible application she might need finding a place on the desktop. I tested the movie playing capability with Monsoon Wedding and other movies.

Unfortunately, while I am here now in Singapore, my mom tried playing the Great Escape CD which apparently gave her an error. I failed miserably in the garb of an online computer technician; I took one hour to get her to type ‘ls’ on the terminal. I implicitly expected her to add an ENTER after every command I asked her to type on the terminal( which I shudnt have, considering that she doesnt know anything at all about Linux!).

O well, I learnt an important lesson. But then, the ease of my mom’s comprehension (when I dont skip any steps) and her immediate love of Linux (as she says it is “Bold and Beautiful” :) ) made me even more convinced that Windows is an OS that should be thrown out of Home PC market. It has too many frills and costs way too much.