Firstly, a very warm thank you to all you coders who have made Ubuntu a Linux install that really does work.

I consider myself a 'new user' of only some 8 weeks experience of Linux. Yes, it is very powerful and very empowering but for a new user it quickly becomes a nightmare of sudo gibberish where we can only be guided by trawling this lifeline that is the Ubuntu forums.

As this OS explodes into the mainstream (the backlash against Vista being a major contributary factor!), I can envisage a time not very far into the future when the voluntary administration of Linux will become so swamped that rm type commands and impenetrable perl hieroglyphics will proliferate.

I respectfully tender the suggestion that if far more effort was devoted to a graphical user interface for everything vital to a users well-being and confidence in Ubuntu, the terminal could return to being the rightful preserve of programmers.

As a personal example of this - the only way I have found at present to get my Realtek (rtl818x) wifi running is to reset the bit rate with iwconfig then dhclient to re-awaken it - every session. I have yet to find where the card's parameters are stored so I could hardwire these parameters - a couple more tabs and gizmos in Network Tools could keep this tyro from dabbling in the terminal window based only on code provided by users here.

I just don't have the time in this life to get up to the speed of those already fully conversant with computer-speak but I most certainly have unbounded admiration for what you have achieved so far.

Can you avoid being swamped now the corporate boys have dropped the ball big-time? They're a vindictive bunch on the whole...