The first step is to finalize on one distribution and put all of the support into it, at the moment the most promising brand of Linux is the Google Linux because it has a name that people know and Google will have the clout to get vendors to release drivers for it.  The second step is to fix the installation process in LInux to make it simple and intuitive for new users.  Programs should not have a list of dependencies that must be installed first for them to work, if the program needs certain files or programs to run, those should be included with the installer.  There should never be a need to open any sort of text file to change code around or to recompile anything.  I’m fairly certain that the people that create Linux applications are fairly smart, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to create an installation process that works as easy as it does on Mac OS X where you simply drag an application’s icon to the application folder and it installs itself - with the reverse process being required to get rid of an application.  The final step for Linux is to settle on a base set of applications for productivity and creativity that would be able to at least come close to what Microsoft Office and iLife gives you.  I realize that almost all distributions of Linux come with Open Office but the fonts in that program are ugly and the interface seems clunky and old in comparison to Word and Pages - it needs an update both in visual appearance and in functionality.  There is nothing on Linux, or on Windows for that matter, that is comparable to the iLife suite at the moment.  If the Linux community could come up with a software package, or at least put together existing programs and make them work together in the same way, that could give consumers what iLife gives them then there would finally be a draw for consumers to consider the Linux platform.  If, out of the box, you could put together a podcast, easily design a website, import, edit, and then burn DVDs with good looking menus and transitions, and have them all work seamlessly together - without ever having to read a manual, Linux could leapfrog past Windows and might even compete with OS X for some market share.