Well use those apps yourself and STFU dictating to everyone else what they should or should not be using.
Whoa there!
Where did I dictate to anybody what they should or should not use?
And if I do make recommendations, who are you or your Linux zealot buddies to tell me not to make the recommendation?
But I'm nor surprised.
I once ran PCLOS. One day booted into a command line due to a single 200 k CD driver update that hadn't been properly tested but was put in anyway by the maintainers. It took them 2 weeks to rectify it. And I needed to use a Windows PC to get online to find out what to do. "How about not using the rolling-update model for your distro Mr Maintainer?"
Mr Maintainer: "If you don't like it go somewhere else"
L'lle ol' 2% Linux has stayed that way for very very good reasons on the desktop.
Having a bunch of free applications is better than having no applications. Or expecting someone to fork out $$$ to buy the same program they already have on Windows.
I don't think this is the place for a discussion on economics. You could download WinUAE which needs a nice interface before you could expect someone to pay for it.
Or you could end up paying $50 for some bloated DVD software that doesn't have region free options and other features that you would find on a free version.
See the "Linux apps are free and Windows aren't" argument doesn't really hold water anymore.
DVD player/media player:
http://mpc-hc.org/Office:
http://www.libreoffice.org/Paint/Image processing:
http://www.getpaint.net/ Photo catalogue: picassa
Web browsers are all free
Plenty of free email clients.