This is just a Ludite response! You have NO idea what you are talking about, while I’m a Linux user of over 20 years & a Windows user up to and including Windows 7. Ubuntu Linux is EASY to load and configure, literally just as easy as Windows or a Mac for all the things a normal user would worry about such as email, network access/setup, etc.
The simple fact is that until Windows 8 the visual paradigm between Ubuntu & Windows isn’t that different.
Uh... I use Fedora Linux and I never have to go to the command line (unless I want to). It also handles automatic software updates better, on the whole, than Windows or OS X.
“Linux is never a solution to any computing problem, unless you’re a techie who still loves to be hands on with the command line and feels comfortable with compiling and re-compiling and reconfiguring things.”
Maybe 10 or 20 years ago. Funny, I have used a variety of Linux distros over the past four years and have never had to compile anything; in fact, I wouldn’t know how. To use mainstream applications (e.g. web browsing, email, office programs, multimedia programs), compiling is not necessary. Linux will never replace Windows, we all know this, but it still fills a niche for people like me. For instance, Linux gives me the flexibility to choose the type of desktop interface that I want. I’m not stuck with Metro/Modern, or Unity, for that matter. I like the Windows XP look and feel that Linux can provide. Linux isn’t the virus/malware magnet that Windows is, even if Windows has improved. I don’t have to scan the hard drive with a battery of diagnostic programs such as Norton, McAfee, MalwareBytes, Ad-aware, ad nauseum. Security on Windows is a major preoccupation; on Linux, hardly a worry. Have you ever seen a Linux virus? I never have. Yes, Windows supports more hardware, peripherals and name-brand software than Linux, but that’s a trade-off that I can live with.