Reading all the Linux is not this and that I decided to start this thread.
This is my view on not only Linux but the BSD variants out there.
Microsoft has advantages with their Windows,not when it comes to security but marketing. People who know 0 about computers don't want to spend hours learning how to use one but to get started right away. Sure, you got those mothers bragging about how well their brats use a PC/MAC. But that's all with a graphical user interface. Clickety click, in Linux it's not allways graphical, not even SuSE.
Sure *nix may appeal to some hardcore computer users or to be used on servers. But for home use it can be too difficult. Then you got those people who know so much about Windows and that want to start learning Linux (like many who visit this board). Well most of these people get disappointed and stop at some point (yes even people who have studied and know programming), wether they got it up and running or not. They may not see the beauty of opensource.
Many of you will disagree with this one, but even the most advanced users don't want to turn on their laptop and start recompiling the kernel just to get that wavelan they just bought to run, but want to get started right away. So those would choose Wintel or Mac. And yes offcourse compiling your own driver etc. will teach you a lot about Linux and your system.
So no Linux system in any household? not entirely, the past few years I have seen many non linux people use small Linux distro's that fit on one floppy to make that old box in the garage run as a router or firewall.
But then again, who am I to tell you this, who knows. Maybe SuSE 8.0 or Mandrake 10.0 will be so advanced and easy to setup that they can replace windows instantly. Marketing would then be the next step. For now Linux will play a small part, but the desktop? I doubt it.