it's actually quite ready for the desktop IMO, but not for the majority of idiot users out there who don't seem to think outside MS or Apple,

Ubuntu has a nice version that can be installed on the top of your Windows NTFS partition, basically it's disk file being used for a boot. It's great, clean, and you won't fuck up any of your disk partition. It's also very easy to remove if you are fed up with Ubuntu and want to return to your reliable and usable WinXP