One of the advantages, and disadvantages of most Linux's is the bewildering variety/possibilities for configuring EVERY possible and imaginable way of "appearance". Unless you know what you are doing it is better to leave the default settings. I got carried away once and screwed it up so thoroughly that I had to re-enstall as the only way to find my way backwards! The fact that many many people contribute to the Linux community, and their applications and ideas (visual or otherwise) find themselves willynilly added onto every Distro (although there is supposed to be some kind of overseeing) means that there is no monolithic "whole" as found in Windows or Mac. This results in some rather strange things; some applications appear very sleek and well thought out, whereas others are primitive and simplistic. Likewise there is a plethora of "things" that appear totally useless or duplications. Too many cooks stirring the pot you might say. The "corporate" distros like Suse, Mandriva, Fedora, etc. attempt to put some order in this by proposing a more minimalistic, unified approach, with varying degrees of success. While there is a lot to be said for the Microsoft/MAc approach, as it takes a lot of guess work out of the equation, it also takes the wacky, fun, "world" free for all out of it that Linux proposes. This is not to say that Linux is created and maintained by a bunch of amateurs, far from it, but since it is in constant evolution, one can easily get a serious headache! Let's say that Linux is best approached by those having a good grip on Mac and Window and who are willing to relearn and be challenged. I think there is a good analogy to be made with the idea that Linux falls on the audiophile, inquisitive side of the fence, rather than those who just go out and buy a read to go system.
