Ubuntu: the good and the bad

Last Sunday, at a friend's party, someone started a discussion on the impending release of Windows 7. Most of us being from IT, it was a "hot" topic to discuss.
Before I could mention that I use Linux for 99.9% of my tasks at home and at work, a non-IT guy, said he used Ubuntu on his Sony VAIO. Predictably I was pleasantly surprised as Linux is something my friends and aquaintances know the merits of, but do not wish to (yet) deploy on their PCs or laptops.
As the conversation progressed, it was apparent that the non-IT guy had a Macbook, on which he ended up pouring his precious favourite spirit. So, he switched to Ubuntu rather than go back to Windows.
So, here is my personal analysis of what is good and not-so-good about Ubuntu:
The Good
Its great to see that almost a joe-average user decided to install Ubuntu Jaunty rather than revert to the "comfort" of Windows. This clearly implies that the user migration to Linux has started trickling. Full marks to Ubuntu for making the system easy enough.
The Bad
When I asked the guy why he chose Ubuntu, the answer was that he was used to MacOS X interface and Ubuntu provided a much similar look and feel. I couldn't help wondering if this is the cause of few Windows users migrating to Ubuntu. Take, for example, Kubuntu. It comes with KDE and (as numerous reports and rants on the internet say) provides a Windows-like look and feel.
Would the statistics for migration to Linux look any different if Canonical had gone with KDE/4 and provided a Windows-lookalike desktop? We have had 10 iterations of admittedly the most popular Linux distributions out there. Maybe its time to switch the strategy and target users who want the familiar look of Windows without its legendary ills. If that's too radical now, why not provide an option to choose the look-and-feel during installation (and during Live-CD startup) by showing the user screenshots of KDE and GNOME (looking similar to Windows and MacOS X respectively)?
Disclaimer: This is not a rant against any particular desktop, although I do prefer KDE over GNOME. Its simply offering users what they seem to want.

Features I love in KDE4: Column view in Dolphin

Until recently, I was accustomed to the icon view in file managers. This was a habit carried over, partly from Windows Explorer, but mainly from Konqueror, the file manager of KDE 3.5; and in those rare moments when I used GNOME, I always used Nautilus with the icon view.

So, it seemed logical to carry on with the icon view tradition in Dolphin/KDE4. However, couple of moons ago, I tried the column view and I found it infinitely more productive, especially for documents and other textual information. I am vaguely aware that the column view has existed on the Mac for a long time. However, since I've never had the luxury of owning one, I thank Dolphin/KDE developers for this nifty feature. Here is the obligatory screenshot:

Of course, while browsing photo collections, icon view with previews would be a better choice but when I'm at work, column view is an absolute boon.Managing files is so much easier now, particularly when you have directory hierarchy that runs several levels deep. No more going back and forth to search for the right location or file. The column view complements the breadcrumb navigation bar; and in some respects, improves it by providing quick visual feedback of the entire directory tree you have traversed. Then, there is the cool horizintal slide effect when the columns are too many to fit in the current window view.

To use column view in Dolphin, you can either use the Menu item View -> View Mode -> Columns or click on the icon in the toolbar. There is also the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+3.