For that reason and also passing acquaintance with a couple of dozen past and present Linux distributions, I call bullshit on your implicit assumption that there are lawfully available free-of-charge typefaces floating around somewhere in the memesphere that have somehow been negligently omitted from Linux distributions by arrogant computer geeks who don't care how anything looks.Stunning logic. Most distributions are shipped with non-legal fonts. Therefore there are no legal fonts that can be shipped. Try [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=free+fonts+gpl|this]. Of course GPL [link|http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/fonts/2001-October/000931.html|might not be] the way to go for fonts, so maybe you'd prefer the ones available under a [link|http://www.google.com/search?q=free+fonts|standard freeware license]. (Hey look, I can reference newsgroups, too!)
And now I call bullshit on your stated assumption that I blame "arrogant computer geeks who don't care how anything looks" for the lack of legal fonts in current distributions. I'm specifically calling you an arrogant copmputer geek. And while I don't make any assumptions about whether you care how things look, I have reached the conclusion that you are less concerned with fonts than with other issues you deign to address.
On the winmodem issue, you could just as easily have enumerated the options, "Buy a real modem or buy Windows," and left it there. But you went further to explain why this was the case, and pointed to projects underway to provide a third alternative. With fonts, "buy them, make them or commission them" is not a comprehensive list of options. There is also, "Find someone with the ability to create them, and convince them that doing so would be a benefit to the Free Software community." You have apparently not been convinced, though the existence of several projects to address this issue indicates others have been.