The approach taken by distributions as mentioned is to provide lots of functionality in an easily downloaded package, that can be installed on most PCs, though it wasn't always like that, indeed even today installing Linux is still not for old aunt Annie.
I think the problem is, that concurring the world one download at the time just isn't going to make any real difference. Granted there has been some "success" stories about whole towns and medium sized companies switching, but as it stands today the installed desktop Linux base is still small and fragmented between a huge array of distributions.
In any venture which the goal of changing the world, the most critical issue is to convince the ones who can make a difference the they should change. Lots of effort has been made in convincing CTOs and CIOs and other CxO people, that Linux is the way forward. Mostly the cost of Linux has been promoted as the winning reason for why they should change. Obviously any CEO worth his salt will listen to such an argument, but as most CEOs are not IT experts, they often refer the question to their IT staff. And that is where I believe the answer lies!
The real decision maker is not the CEO, but the IT staff!
IT staff are usually not made up of geeks the likes to tinker with the OS on their PC, but are make up of professional people that has a specific problem to solve. If a solution comes along that solves a current problem better than the solution they already have, most of them will switch to that new solution. The problem for Linux on the desktop is, that it doesn't solve a current problem better than the solution the IT staff currently have, and as long as that is the case, ubiquitous Desktop Linux will remain a wet dream of the fans of the penguin.
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