Probably because help-desk questions are quite usually considered off-topic. Not that I don't do this myself sometimes. :) You've probably noticed that the threads that do digress to technical discussions generally end up focusing on network administration and Java and the sorts of things that the techmeisters like Bush2000 and Innocentbystander are concerned with.
I'm a Linux newbie myself, and would love a forum to discuss Linux, but it shouldn't be done in the middle of a political discussion. I'm wondering if our intrepid founder and the moderators would mind a separate thread for Linux desktop questions? How about it Jim? Is such a thing too far from your original concept for FreeRepublic?
I have to admit to being a happy lad after finally getting a linux-based router and firewall working. Smoothwall. It was a piece of cake to install and setup. I never could get Mandrake to work properly with my ADSL connection. Now if I can just find a cheap 486 or early Pentium box so I can free up the more powerful box I'm using.