Sam is awesome He's done some really cool stuff and I've always liked his attitude, and the community really needs more folks like him without the ego.

In terms of Compiz being on the CD, I can show you hundreds, if not thousands, of posts from the Ubuntu world of new users coming in just because of Compiz and because it came with Ubuntu. Tbh, I foresee a shift to either non-optical media or to DVDs in the near future as the default means of distributing Linux. CDs are an old medium (heck, I haven't burned Ubuntu on a CD in years, I keep wasting full DVDs). With Canonical working down free CD shipments, and the extremely low prices of 2GB USB sticks, the idea of having to fit a distro's default install on a 700MB disc is dying.

Also, re:your tweet from this morning: You're not likely to find David any time soon, at least not through us, he's virtually lost to the Internet.

Thanks for letting me know about the problem with + in the e-mail addresses. I use that feature too with GMail so I can easily manage messages with labels, and I too hate when a site treats it as invalid. Since I use IntenseDebate for my comments, I'll see if I can get that fixed or send your complaint their way.

I'm also enabling their OpenID and other authentication services so people don't have to do that.

Also remember that Desktop Effects are a big selling point for desktop users that are enticed by simple marketing to compete in the market.

Things have always been available in some repository, but having it readily available is important. As an example, restricted drivers have been in repositories, but until they where included on the CD (which can be controversial) novice users assumed the system can't make use of that hardware, and view the work required as voodoo.

I guess I don't understand the benefits of being on the CD besides the non-linux savvy people having your app. But won't most of those non-linus savvy people not know or care what app they are using, just as long as it works?