>why not combine all linux and unix questions into one category?
Well, for one thing, I like to have shell scripting questions separated from Linux "help" questions. And having distro choice discussions separate from software installations is also a nice feature.

The only forum that really doesn't serve a purpose is the "Linux user's lounge". It's pointless because there's not enough Linux users to discuss something somewhat related to Linux, so it just seems to be another forum for getting technical support.