Mr.Guvernment said:
of course it is, because they are trying to make it "like" windows, in the sense of having everything someone needs in it, and i find it amusing how Windows get's bashed for being so bloated, and now Linux is finding out if it wants to compete on the desktop market for joe blow, then it too will be bloated and slower.
I find that after a few minor tweaks, Windows XP can be streamlined quite significantly, resembling Win 2k, with a few perks, in a short period of time. I actually think XP is a tough OS to top for the desktop, for 90% of PC users. Although I love Linux, it is still quite esoteric in nature (some distros seem to like it this way) and remains out of the realm of the everyday PC user.
I truly hope Linux continues to improve in every way, not just for techies and not just for Windows migrants, but for everyone.
Myself, I like newbie distros (PCLinuxOS, Kanotix, Ubuntu) because the more stripped Distros I have tried just take too long to learn how to configure. Don't get me wrong, I love Debian and Slack, and Gentoo seems really cool to compile from source, but I find that at a certain point the time invested in memorizing packages (or researching to find which ones i need) for general stuff or multimedia purposes alone is not worth it in the end. If I worked in an IT position, and used it everyday, it would be a blast I am sure.
It seems to me that the main distros are used and loved by more IT oriented folks, and cater to them, and the newbie distros are still trying to cater to Windows-desktop replacement by offering a more intuitive and GUI-driven experience.
I suppose bloat is somewhat inevitable, since the GUI, being a visual, intuitive tool, is so universal in nature. It's what brought the PC into the living room of everyone on the planet.
I am sure that Arch, Slack, Gentoo and Debian among others will continue to be the more torch holding traditionalist distros, whereas the "desktop distros" will keep trying to improve by bringing Linux to the "average" user. I think this is good for everyone.
just my $.02, not that you asked