The Too Many Distros Theory

The phrase “operating system already loaded” is key here. Consumers don’t install operating systems at all; they get them already installed on new computers. When Vista was Redmond’s latest and greatest, many consumers just put off buying a new computer until Steve Ballmer got his head out from wherever he’d put it to save the day with Windows 7. Others, if they had the bucks and inclination, bought a new Mac. Hardly anybody switched to Linux and the reason had nothing to do with “OMG, how can I choose from all these distros.”