email program too was difficult to navigate as it had a lot of options and buttons.

Thats definitely a problem with MANY user interfaces .. too much functionality is exposed at the top level itself.. also sometimes, the symbols (e.g. a US style mailbox in some email apps) are not universal. Which is why, people should not view localization of software as purely an excercise in translation, but also think of "tran slating" other visual elements, icons etc.

This kept me thinking about a desktop thats totally different from the current windows clones and is totally a reflection of real life.

So how about a totally different desktop that actually looks like a real life situation. For example, it will have simple but large and realistic looking icons for letters/envelopes = email, documents = office suite, music system = music player, television = movie player etc.

Yes, that would be the easiest to use UI. While concepts like http://www.symphonyos.com/ are much closer to the Fitts's laws of UI design.. we also have to accept the fact that the current UI concepts derived from XWindows, MacOS and MS Windows in past 15-20 years... good or bad... have already become popular, have gained acceptance.

I once read a comparision of user friendliness of all major OS's (in case of linux, the DE's). To my surprise, BeOS actually came at the top in many categories! but then, maybe if you are too revolutionary, you face resistance in acceptance as well.

Ultimately, any voluntary effort to push linux desktop to villages in India would involve effort from PC assemblers, local hardware service guys, (ie the "Desktop Support").. and these guys need to be confortable supporting it, need to know about it.. If we try to push a very revolutionary idea... we would need large funding and participation..

into home desktops. Since linux is secure, once a firewall is running, linux will not even need an anti-virus to constantly update. This system in other Indian languages should become very popular with the rural population who has no knowledge of computers or even those who are semi literate.

Yes, localization is ONE area where Linux CAN easily beat MS in India, IF it makes early inroads..

MS windows and its set of commercial softwares can not be translated 100% to desi languages easily, as it would involve an effort from a lot of different companies...

on the other hand, a small team of dedicated volunteers can translate a set of common apps to Indian langauges much more easily and quickly... (in fact most of hindi kde translations have been done by a single guy!)

sadly, the status of translations of most indian languages is not that great :(...