too many choices (distros)

[Alan Dayley]

Darrin Chandler said:
> I don't really enjoy the choices as much as I might. There are sooooo
> many distros these days, and it's been very hard for me to tell the
> difference between them. I've tried to figure things out from
> distrowatch, etc., but it's still a big mess in my mind.

If I make take a tangent on this thread and focus on the "too many
choices" point...

First off, I understand the "too many" point of view.  I also recognize
that it is a view that will not go away anytime soon.  I also accept that
it is not a view that is "wrong" or stupid, it just is.  I do find it
facinating when compared to other things.  For example:

"There are sooooo many types of housing to choose from.  Apartments,
condos, townhouses, big, small, downtown, suburban.  And that is not even
touch on architecture, features, paint color and everything else!  It's
hard to figure out!"

Or

"There are soooo many different modes of transportation to choose from. 
Walking, bicycle, electric, gas, diesel, small, big, truck, sedan, Chevy,
Ford, etc.!  How do I choose!"

Or

"There are soooo many different kinds of food to eat...."
"There are soooo many different kinds of shoes...."
"There are soooo many different kinds of shrubbery...."

The above examples sound silly to me because few people sit around
complaining about the diversity of choices for those things.  My point is
that, to me, choices that have to do with computers are among the few
(only?) areas of our life where more choice is bad.  Or at least more
choice is more often categorized as bad.

Maybe it's because computers are still fairly new with only about two
decades in the general public.  Maybe it's because Microsoft has been so
successful dominating things that people equate their products with what a
computer is.  Maybe it's just complex enough that it scares people.  Maybe
it's because computers become so key in our lives, holding all that
personal information, etc. that the choice is more intimate to our psyche.

Whatever it is, I look forward to the day when people accept choice in
their computer operating environment as a matter of course, just as
picking between a mediterranean style or early american style couch is
just a matter of personal taste.

Alan