Jaden, this isn't a flame war, it's a friendly discussion.

I could have sworn that I posted a response a couple of days ago. I know I typed it. In fact, I typed more than my first statement here, but I don't remember what it was. That was two days ago! Oh well.
Okapidragon, this has gone way beyond my original reason for this thread. I'm still trying to get B&W working. Ok, I'm using it in windows, but I want to not have to boot into windows so much. I'd just like to keep my computer running like it is now. That's ok though, I don't mind a discussion. In fact, I really enjoy it.
That said, the software repositories are not for using the "approved" software applications. It's just an easy way to install programs. In my example, flac just happens to be the most widely used way for people to compress audio losslessly. I just find it nice that it's in the repositories for me to install easily. If I want a piece of software that's not there, I don't look for an alternative that is in there, I look for that piece on the internet and intsall it by the means that it's offered. If that means I have to compile it, then so be it. It sounds like your confusing these repositories I'm talking about with one particular distribution. I'll spell it out, Lindows. Yes, Lindows offered a way to install software very easily, and the stuff that was in there could probably be considered "approved" software. I tried it once. Lindows (or now Linspire), was probably the worst Linux dist that I've tried. Not bad for newbies that don't want to get their hands dirty. For me, I found that they created a dist that you really couldn't get yourself down into. It is set up in a proprietary manner, much like windows or OSX (runs on top of BSD) is probably a better example.
Like I said before, linux isn't for everyone. I like it because I enjoy working on my system more than I enjoy using it. That doesn't mean I can't use it. it means that there is so much that you can do with it to customize it and all, that I enjoy exploring my options. It's what I do for fun.