I think most Mac users are satisfied with their computers. People who have problems are more likely to make complaints in forums, which is why the numbers look skewed. And regarding the i7 MBPs, this was an entirely new model from Apple, and new models from any manufacturer tend to have 'teething pains'. Anyway, it's good to see that people can appreciate both platforms without trying to be divisive ('Crapple', 'Micro$$$$$$oft', 'Windoze', 'Macintrash', etc.)
And an old Mini running 10.4? Have you tried clearing out old files, and (as someone else said) running Onyx on it? Older computers, whether they're Macs or PCs, tend to slow down over time because of all the preference and settings files that they get gumming things up. It's been worse on Windows from what I've seen, but Macs aren't immune to it. And if it's an Intel mini, updating from Tiger to Snow Leopard might speed it up. I saw a significant performance boost updating some Leopard iMacs at work to SLthey start up a lot faster and launch apps quicker.
Regarding Linux, I don't foresee it becoming a major player on the desktop. Microsoft has cornered the non-Apple desktop market with its dumping of cheap Windows licences on the OEMs, and restrictive contracts that prevent the PC box makers from installing their own OSes on the machines. Most PC companies are basically Windows distribution outfits, building computers at the lowest prices as vehicles for Microsoft's product. Price isn't a barrier, because Linux distros are generally free. It's about market saturationMicrosoft's had it sewn up for the past twenty years, and the only way to viably compete with Microsoft is to offer an integrated solution, as Apple (and soon, Google) are doing.
