The arguments against Linux

The thing is, all the software that you mentioned that you DO require, don't need alternatives. They work with Wine seamlessly. Well, not out of the box but with just a little configuration with Wine. Games, Photoshop and all the other popular software that people say Linux can't run (if though there are alternatives) are now able to run on Linux because the people at Wine worked to make those applications work on Linux without problems. Games, especially. About customising your Desktop ...

If you want the cool looking desktop, Windows is OBVIOUSLY NOT the way to go. For the amount of base RAM a Windows Desktop uses, I'm still amazed at how little functionality or ability for change it provides. I still don't understand why I cannot even THEME Windows without having to download a script to unlock the shell and to download a software that does it for me, BUT that software will have to be running in memory.

And about alternatives: Sometimes they're much better. Sometimes. And for those that are not: Wine. Wine has an appdb which lists all software that work at Platinum (out-of-the-box everything works) level, Gold (everything works with configuration) level, Silver (almost everything works) level, Bronze (certain functions don't work) level and others levels not worthy of mention. Photoshop is at Gold Level. Most of the popular games are at Platinum levels. And this list changes all the time. If you want more or can't wait for Wine to make everything work: Cedega. Pay for software that's aiming at making all games work.

As for alternatives: Take for example my Logitech MX Revolution Mouse. It's a multi-button mouse. I needed to download a 55mb Logitech SetPoint software (not available for Linux) which still did not let me customise the buttons the way I wanted. I could still only use or select from the options they gave me. 55mb of an application couldn't give me the freedom of choosing anything I wanted.

With Ubuntu or Linux in general, I searched Google and the first result was BTNX. Now, like you, I was skeptical that this would work. It took me about 10 seconds to install the software, it detected my mouse rightaway but I spent an hour setting up all the mouse buttons because there was NO LIMITATION of what I could set the mouse buttons to do. I could set them to do CTRL ALT DEL. Or whatever, basically. So I spent time setting it up, instead of spending time downloading and installing and RESTARTING Windows for a 55mb application that couldn't give me half the functionality BTNX gave me. BTNX is more or less 500kb.

Oh and the best part? I can set up profiles and with one click of the mouse-button I can change profiles. I can have a profile for my Desktop (shortcuts to applications, switch windows, what not), one for my Media Player (forward, back, next, previous, stop pause what not), one for Firefox (open tabs, close tabs, reopen closed tabs, switch between tabs, search, go home, again ... what not).

Anyway. Granted that alternatives are not always better. That's why there's Wine. Dude, if I was in Singapore, we'd be arguing over which OS is better with the only difference being: You'd on Ubuntu swimming in a river of awesomness. I'd have taught you every single thing I learnt using Linux for the past 1 year. Stuff that I had to read and read and read because no one helped me. But I've gotten really good. The past 1.5 years I spent in Australia (no credit to Australia), I learnt a lot because I read SO MANY things, I got pretty good with Windows and, now, Linux as well. But there's still a wealth of information about Linux I haven't covered. But I'm fairly good. I can even lock or unlock my computer using my phone's Bluetooth proximity.

The only reason I'm trying to convert you - I believe you'll have way more fun on Linux than I will. Because I know how much time you spend changing the small things on your computer. And because I know of all the applications that'll make your experience with the computer better. And because I know that with an OS that doesn't use as much RAM just for itself, you'll have your applications running faster and smoother than with an OS that uses more than half the RAM for itself. Oh and by the way:

Dreamweaver: http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=3482 (Platinum)
Photoshop CS: http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=1815 (Platinum)
Photoshop CS3: http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=6584 (Bronze)
Lightwave: http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=9525&iTestingId=27645 (Gold)

But yeah, the others you mentioned like 3DSMAX, Premiere (older versions have platinum but not CS3), After Effects (same as Premiere) don't work yet. Wine developers always prioritised games before anything else. But yeah, I see your arguments for Windows but take into consideration how much time you actually spend on those software (don't count Photoshop because it apparently works perfectly under Linux) and how much time you spend doing everything else like your day to day stuff.

Here's the sad part. There's a lab in my school - where the computers are blazing fast, the screens are like 21" and they're beautiful. In every way the computers there are faster and the screens bigger than ANY other lab in school with the only difference being that they run on Fedora Linux. It's in the main building too. But all day long, there's no one there. I'm like the only person that works there. Why? Everyone thinks it's really hard to use, WITHOUT EVEN LOGGING IN. They never bothered trying. They saw me using the computer there one day and they asked me how I was doing it. I was using fucking OpenOffice and they were looking at me as though I'm The Operator from the Matrix looking at a screen full of falling Japanese characters.

I think there's possibly more prejudice against Linux than there ever was against Black people in the US. So, if you go to school with all the effects from Compiz, with your computer looking that way, chances are people will find it infinitely cooler because they'll think you're some hardcore programmer - staying in some basement wearing TShirts like: I am root - JUST FOR USING LINUX. It's a sad world.